The Writers' Ultimatum
by JetravenEx
Summary: Collab with Breezyfeather! JetravenEx and Breezyfeather have been tormenting the bakugan cast in their fanfics for years now. Finally enough is enough and the characters decide it's high time the writers get a taste of their own medicine and they writers get dragged into the worlds of DD and Ultimatum. Can they manage to get out alive as the characters exact their revenge?
1. Role Reversal

A/N: So this is what happens when you get JetravenEx late at night and she drags Breezyfeather into her madness.

JetravenEx: I don't know what this is going to end up being.

Humanized! Superior: A disaster?

JetravenEx: You! You're not a part of DD or Ultimatum! Out! Even if you are a sexy bastard T.T *pushes Superior out*

Breezyfeather: Yeah, I have no idea where this is going either. *laughs nervously* So….what now?

JetravenEx: Now we figure out what to do… Or we just start writing.

Breezyfeather: I think we ought to just throw things at the wall haha *throws a paint-filled water balloon at the wall* (beat) Although, this is probably not the best way to go.

JetravenEx: Hey I'm all for throwing things at the wall. Or throwing charries at the wall… *glances at Tyler*

Tyler: Why me?!

JetravenEx: Cause you're my go-to for stuff like that.

Breezyfeather: ...How about we don't harm our characters…? *slowly moves Tyler away from Jet*

Tyler: *flings himself at Breezy's feet* Oh, glorious and merciful Breezyfeather! Let me submit to you! Take me on as one of yours and save me from Jet's brutality!

Breezyfeather: O_O

JetravenEx: Hey! I only hurt the characters I love best, Masquerade knows that from experience!

Breezyfeather: *deadpanning* ...You do realize he probably wants to kill you, right? I know Dan wants to kill me for all the abuse I put him through.

Dan: She is one of the few people I hate.

Breezyfeather: Yeeeeeah…..

Masquerade: As much as I may not like you Dan, you have my respect, and I agree with you. I'd love a chance to put Jet through the ringer.

JetravenEx: Yeah, well, you can't. *sticks out tongue and blows raspberry* Nyah nyah! I'm the writer so you can't touch me!

Breezyfeather: They probably fantasize about it, though. And hope they can when we're not in your bunker.

Masquerade and Dan: *both giving the girls dark looks*

Breezyfeather: *edges away slightly in alarm* Which is where we should probably go. We can watch movies. Or replay scenes of our fanfictions with commentary. Or something of that nature. *notices Masky and Dan's faces getting progressively creepier. Gulps*

Aidan: Oh, you mean the bunker that Tyler set on fire several minutes ago? *gestures to burning bunker*

Breezyfeather: *stares in shock before turning to Jet in alarm* JET, YOU SAID THAT WAS SAFE!

JetravenEx: He must've hacked the codes… OR something… But only my most trusted charries had those codes…

Human!Superior: *whistles innocently*

Breezyfeather: Whyyyy? *sad eyes at Human!Superior*

Superior: *shrugs* JetravenEx has horrible things planned for me, I'm getting her in advance, plus… Oserian said she wants to try something.

Oserian: *appears* It is time for you to endure what your characters have been through! With my god like powers that JetravenEx has yet to fully explain I shall banish you both to your worlds of Ultimatum and Dual Dimensions!

Breezyfeather: ...Jet, she's in Doom and Doccorus. Also, WHO IS SHE?

Oserian: Doom and Docorrus us a part of Dual Dimensions, and I am a godly being, that's all I can reveal at the moment.

JetravenEx: Eh, that doesn't sound too bad.

Oserian: It wouldn't, except the characters will be able to exact their revenge.

Masquerade: *grins darkly*

Dan: *smirks*

Breezyfeather: *moans* Jeeeeett….Why do you do this to me? Now I need to get my golf club….

Cassie: Well...it could be worse.

Breezyfeather: ...You don't know that.

Obsidian: *smirks in amusement* Nope, but you have to appreciate her efforts to calm you.

Breezyfeather: I do, I do…. *whines into pillow* You're wonderful, Cassie.

Cassie: *laughs nervously*

JetravenEx: Have no fear, Breezy! Just grab your golf club and brace yourself for the madness that ensues! For I know that there are some charries that will not betray me.

Jet's OC's: Yeah, no.

JetravenEx: TRAITORS!

Breezyfeather: ...I don't see how you didn't see that coming, Jet.

JetravenEx: *frowns* Point taken.

Breezyfeather: *sighs in resignation* ...Let's just get this over with….

JetravenEx: *jabs finger at Oserian* Do your worst!

Breezyfeather: DON'T. PLEASE don't. *turns to Jet* If I wind up with permanent scars, I blame you!

Sid: You do realize that would be entirely your fault, right?

Breezyfeather: … *glares at Sid*

Oserian: *smirks eyes flashing* Very well, first stop, Dual Dimensions.

Story begins:

In a flash of light, a 19 year old girl with dirty blond hair dressed in faded shorts and a gray shirt with Pikachu on it appeared in a darkened hallway.

"Huh, looks like we're starting in Masquerade's mansion. Guess Masky wants a crack at us first," JetravenEx mused peering up and down the dark, shadowy hall where a certain masked blond could be hiding anywhere.

The red-haired girl beside her gave a long suffering sigh. She tucked one leg behind the other and clasped her hands together against her back. "You mean a crack at you first. He's not in Ultimatum." She paused. "Why am I in my school uniform?"

JetravenEx looked her up and down, taking in the white knee-high socks, dark blue skirt and white polo. An insignia of a detailed coat of arms was embroidered above her left breast.

JetravenEx shrugged. "Haven't the foggiest, and you have to wear uniforms?" She pulled a face at that. "Urgh, I haven't had to wear those annoying things since I was 7; god, those were _awful._ "

Breezy shrugged. "I dunno. It sure beats having to go clothes shopping. I just have to do the laundry a billion times a week. But I'm graduating in a week and a half… And, oooooh, why? These shoes are hard to run in!"

JetravenEx frowned. "Well, I kind of beat up my legs a lot over the past 4 years are running, so I'm probably not going to be able to run fast without something acting up. This should be fun…" she muttered, glancing around. "Wonder what's taking them so long to actually do something. Does Masquerade think I'll walk right into him like Jet? Please!" she said with a scoff, throwing her hands out to her sides. "I'm not that easy."

" _Please_ don't jinx it," Breezy moaned. "I may have a golf club, but it's not pepper spray! ...Though I would love to have some at this point. Not that it would help."

JetravenEx glanced back at her and nodded. "Hey don't worry, they're going to come after me first right? You don't have anything to worry about," she said, summoning a big smile, although it didn't quite reach her blue eyes. "I mean, you'll probably have to deal with me suffering horrible things, but, eh, it could be worse. Could be raining," she said with a shrug.

Breezy all but snapped her fingers, a mere second before a crash of thunder sounded outside. She shot her comrade a deadpan look. "You were saying?"

"Huh, the timing of things is impeccable," Jetraven said with a frown, grabbing her chin. "Well, as much fun as chatting-with-you-in-a-dark-hallway-while-angry-characters-seeking-vengeance-lurk-in-the-darkness is, we should probably start moving," she said, giving their surroundings a once over, not even flinching at the loud crack of thunder that followed. "Fortunately for me, I'm not scared of thunder-or the dark! Well…" she frowned as she eyed the dark, imagined phantoms crossing her eyes, making her shudder. "Okay maybe I'm a _little_ afraid of the dark. I knew I should've brought my stuffed pegasus, or Superior." Her eyes watered slightly. "Why Superior?! Why must you betray me, you sexy bastard?"

Breezy giggled nervously, unsure of whether or not she should be comforting or laughing at the older girl. "Well," she appeased after a moment, "you're right about one thing. We probably should get moving."

She glanced up and down the hall again, shuddering when a flash of lightning briefly banished the shadows, before tightening her grip on the golf club. " _Daijoubu ka, ne_?" she murmured, half to herself. She took a step to the right.

Jetraven nodded. "Yup, just have your golf club ready. I'll walk ahead and when I scream and jump back, you go in with your golf club and let 'em have it," she said, moving to stand in front of Breezy as she faced the direction they'd chosen.

"I feel like it should be the other way around, since I'm not exactly the target here," the younger girl protested.

"I'd rather have you behind me, least it means they won't get me in the back."

"Thanks," Breezy deadpanned.

"Unless they attack from the ceiling," she said, ignoring her and glancing upwards, frowning when she caught a sign of glowing purple lights further ahead. "I see you, Human-Version of Superior! You're not even in Dual Dimensions!" She scowled as the lights disappeared. "I swear if Speedy shows up in this story, I'm flipping a table. Should've known that if I kept crossing over my stories they'd all jump into one and come back to bite me in the ass."

"Speedy?"

Jetraven blinked. "Oh right, he's my family car/first OC I ever created in my entire life. He's a minivan so he won't be able to do much… But just him showing up here would make me flip a table, or, I dunno, some other rage-quit thing."

"Oh, I remember him now. He was in that celebratory fic of yours, ri-EEK!" Breezy slipped to the ground in surprise as something flew out of the shadows.

"What?! What?!" Jetraven demanded, looking around wildly trying to see what it was that had caused her friend to scream.

"Bat," Breezy stammered. Jet squinted, trying to see anything in the darkness, when a bolt of lightning flashed outside and she caught a glimpse of Masquerade further down the hall. He grinned eerily at them before the darkness returned and swallowed him up. "HEY! No creepy horror stuff! I call hax!"

"Back off! I have a golf club!" Breezy shouted, getting to her feet again. "Let's pretend I'm not a klutz, okay?" she murmured to Jetraven. "At least to him?"

Jetraven nodded. "Sounds good to me," she said, glaring into the darkness. "So far I've seen Masquerade and Superior, and they're down that way," she said, gesturing down the hall where she'd seen Masquerade. "You know, maybe we should just stay here. They seem to be waiting for us to stumble into them in the dark."

"And, what, wait for them to come after us with machetes? I'm aware that's dark-no pun intended," she added after a moment. "But I'd rather not get stabbed in the dark…"

Jetraven paled at the mention of machetes. "I'm regretting my decision to listen to those creepypastas earlier," she muttered, shivering. Breezy shuddered. "Makes me very glad this doesn't take place in Doom and Docorrus, I mean that version of Masquerade is just brutal. What with all his maiming and stabbing thing going on…"

"...Didn't that start with Billy, though? Around now?" Breezy asked, her voice shaking.

Jetraven frowned. "Well, yeah, he beat the crap out of Billy, but that was more out of rage. I was talking more about the new Masquerade that Hal-G created; he's just evil and insane. I don't know where he got the stabbing thing from," she said, eyebrows furrowing. "I should probably get my brain checked after this."

"You can join me at therapy, if you want. We can be committed to a psychiatric institution for schizophrenia and delusions together."

JetravenEx was about to say something when someone grabbed the two girls' shoulders from behind. Jetraven shrieked in both fright and slight pain as the grip on her shoulder was strong enough to bruise. The golf club was yanked out of Breezy's hand and something closed around her wrist.

Jetraven turned her head and glared at the one holding them, scowling as she recognized the purple eyes hidden behind a glass visor and messy black hair. "Damn it, Superior! You're a freaking android! That's cheating! They didn't banish us to Fighting Bakugan! They banished us to DD."

Superior smiled darkly as he tightened his grip. "Then you really shouldn't have brought me into DD with the special."

"So now that we have you and Breezy," Masquerade mused, spinning the golf club he'd taken from her, "what should we do with you?" He tapped the golf club against his palm.

 _At least that's up for debate. Small comfort there_ , Breezy thought, grimacing at the tight grip Superior had on her wrist. She swallowed hard. "Uh...I'd say 'you could let us go', but I don't think that'd go over well."

"Yeah!" Jetraven piped up. "Like, you used Superior! That's cheating! You didn't even give us a fighting chance!"

The red-head snapped her head around to stare imploringly at Jetraven. "Please don't give them ideas!"

Masquerade chuckled. "Then how about a game? The same one you had me and Jet play in DD. Hide and Seek."

"You gave them ideas. Why? Why did you give them ideas?" Breezy muttered, rubbing at her face with her free hand. Jetraven ignored her.

"If you _both_ make it out of the mansion before 5 minutes, you're free to go," Masquerade smirked.

"Easy enough, I can make it to the park where I live in 5 minutes! Escaping a creepy mansion? Piece of _cake_ ," Jetraven said confidently.

"Ah, ah," Masquerade interrupted, lifting a hand and waggling his index finger in her face. "It won't be that simple, because while Superior and I will be keeping track of the clock, some of the other characters will… interfere with your progress."

Jetraven paled slightly. "But that's not fair; they could just hold us in one place and then you'll appear to where they're at."

"We're not _that_ unfair," Masquerade corrected her. "They can't lay a hand on either of you, but I don't doubt they'll find other means to slow your progress."

"That's still unfair!" Jetraven protested.

"'Other means'?" Breezy repeated.

"How bout we extend the time limit by some then?" Superior said. "10 minutes."

"10 minutes," Breezy echoed. "Why does this feel rigged?"

Masquerade shrugged. "10 minutes. Take it or leave it."

Jetraven grimaced and glanced at Breezy. "It's our only chance," she said quietly. Breezy sighed. Masquerade's lips curved up into a wicked smirk as the older girl turned to him and nodded. "All right, we'll play your game."

Masquerade grinned as he stepped back, his cape-like coat billowing out from a phantom wind. "Then let the games begin!" he declared, and snapped his fingers. Superior released them and shoved them forwards, albeit with a bit more force than the situation warranted.

"At least they didn't say we needed to split up," the ginger told her half-heartedly. The pair glanced behind them. The Darkus duo was watching them depart with small smirks, and Breezy looked away quickly. Chills ran down her spine.

Jetraven nodded. "Thank goodness for small blessings," she said as she walked down the hall, her fists balled at her sides. Breezy bounded forward a few steps to keep up. "Plus with 10 minutes, we should be golden," Jetraven said, poking her head into the rooms as they passed. "Though I don't see what the others can possibly do without being able to touch us."

"Haven't you watched enough movies to know not to _say_ things like that?" Breezy bristled. "They can do plenty without touching us!"

Jetraven turned to her and chuckled weakly. "I, er, don't watch horror movies. I get scared easily." Breezy backtracked.

"I don't either. Nightmares. Sorry, I thought it was cliche enough..." She trailed off anxiously.

Jetraven smiled, trying to be reassuring as she continued to make her way down the hall, glancing into each room they passed. "Don't worry, it's like you said. They're after me, not you right now. So they should only be playing to _my_ fears." Breezy looked away, cheeks red.

"Sorry. I shouldn't be freaking out so much. This is your nightmare, not mine. I'm sorry."

JetravenEx chuckled, shrugging her shoulders, "Eh, this isn't quite my nightmare, my nightmares usually involve a lot worse things… Though I suppose they're getting to them," she said, chuckling weakly. Breezy made a face that seemed to be the combination of a smile and a grimace.

Up ahead, one room erupted into bright light before going out, then going back on and beginning to flicker like strobe lights. Breezy clenched her jaw and gulped. "Been in any haunted houses lately?"

"No. Besides the haunted prison where you have to pay 50 bucks to enter and then try to get it back by making it all the way through, there aren't many where I live," Jetraven said, swallowing slightly.

"Oh. Fun."

"Yeah, just buckets of it." Jetraven said as they neared the room with the strobe lights. "I'll look first," she said, edging towards the open doorway.

Breezy held up a hand in protest. "I don't think that's a good idea. If they're after you, it would make sense for me to look first. Just...stay close to me. Like, hold onto my wrist. You know, so you don't get...yanked into the darkness."

JetravenEx blinked then nodded slowly. "Okay," she said grasping Breezy's wrist in a firm but not too painful grip. "I've got you, I can yank you back if something comes at you, just scream."

"Thanks," Breezy grimaced. She hesitated for a moment, trying to compose herself, before she gave JetravenEx's hand a squeeze and started forward. The two girls approached the door cautiously, Breezy expecting something to jump out at her in time with a crack of thunder out of cruel amusement. Instead, some strange thumping sound grew in volume with every step. She licked her lips nervously. Before she knew it, they were standing pressed up against the wall beside the doorway, that thumping sounding oddly similar to a poorly tuned bass beat.

"Okay," she murmured. "This is weird." _And terrifying._ And she peered around the corner.

The first thing she noticed was the increased intensity of the strobe light-immediately, seeing became difficult. She squinted, but her eyes went wide as soon as she could see again.

In the center of the room was a glass partition, but she wouldn't have noticed it if it weren't for the wet crimson streaks. Further cruel examination revealed something _in_ the blood, something dark and...chunky. The blood drained out of her face. Her breathing hitched. Behind the glass were strange, moving bodies, but the strobe was making it difficult to focus on them. It was also making her dizzy. Or maybe that was the terror. Yeah. That could have something to do with it.

"J-Jet," Breezy choked out, stepping backward shakily.

"What? What is it?" Jet asked, peering in after her, freezing up when she took in the sight of the dirty thick glass wall and the zombies moving about behind it. She pulled Breezy, who moaned out in protest, into the room. They were bouncing around and bumping into both each other and the wall, their arms up in their air as they moved to the thumping noise. The strobe light flashed behind them. Her eyebrows furrowed and she frowned. "I don't believe it," she said with a facepalm. "They brought in _actual clubbing zombies."_ She poked her head out into the hall. "Which one of you boneheads decided to bring the Clubbing Zombies out of that arcade game I played at KD's birthday?!" she shouted into the darkness.

Farther down the hall-and slightly to the left-someone snickered and Jetraven glared in that direction.

"I heard that, Viki! Just, why? Why actual clubbing zombies? Its just, I can't… I can't process it," Jetraven said, smacking her forehead.

"I hate my life," Breezy moaned. "Zombies… Why did it have to be zombies?"

Jet huffed. "Because I'm scared of them, and, of course, since my characters love an opportunity to turn everything into a joke, they brought in the clubbing zombies from this game I played at a friends party." Jet shuddered. "The game was pretty scary, but there was this one part where you go in a room and there's a bunch of zombies behind a wall with a strobe light behind them, and although they're probably trying to get you it looked like they were clubbing. Hence," Jet said, gesturing to the actual clubbing zombies, "clubbing zombies."

"Actually," a voice came from the shadowy corner of the room. 12 year old Runo stepped out, going over to a lever on the right side of the room. Breezy paled at the sight of her, "they're all the hospital victims that were harmed as a result of the attack on the hospital."

"Hey! No one was killed in that attack... Except maybe for the unfortunate people who were prolly on life support," JetravenEx said with a grimace.

"Regardless, they all make up this hoard of 'clubbing zombies', and this lever," Runo said, gesturing to it, "keeps that glass wall standing between you and them." She grabbed onto it with both hands and began to force it down.

"H-hey, let's not be hasty now," Breezyfeather protested, stepping forward. She held up her hands in a gesture of peace, and Runo paused. The red-head relaxed for the brief second that they held gazes, but her anxiety cranked up to eleven when Runo flashed her the single most terrifying slasher smile she'd ever seen. "You think this is bad? This is for Jet-and she didn't even treat me too horribly in Dual Dimensions. Wait until I get to deal with _you._ "

Breezy's face went white. She hadn't thought it possible, but Runo's grin grew, perhaps, even more sadistic at the sight. "Oh, yes. Be afraid. Be _very_ afraid." And with that, she seized the lever again, and yanked it down.

"Uh oh, let's book it, Breezy!" JetravenEx said, reaching out and grabbing Breezy's hand. She rushed back into the hallway, racing forwards. "Scary Runo is _very scary!"_ she cried, voice high with fear.

"You're telling _me_?" Breezy screeched. Behind them there was a clang and a loud cacophony of moaning and groaning. A barrage of slow, thumping footsteps sounded behind them.

"Run, run, run," JetravenEx breathed, quickening her pace dragging Breezy behind her. Dull pain started emanating from her left foot and Jet began to run while favoring her foot.. "Ow ow, pain. Must keep running."

"They are going to eat us!" Breezy yelped. "Run or die, Jet! RUN OR DIE!" They sprinted past Masquerade and Superior, but hardly noticed them.

"Should we tell them they can't actually touch them?" Superior asked quietly.

"Why spoil the fun?" Masquerade smirked. "Two minutes have passed!" he called after the girls. "The clock is ticking!"

"Don't remind me! I get anxious with time limits!" Jetraven shouted over her shoulder.

"Less talking! More running!"

"Okay, okay!" Jetraven said, pouring on the speed, her cadence evening out as the pain faded from her mind and she began to settle into a quick, steady rhythm. However, she was moving so fast she didn't realize she was practically pulling poor Breezy's arm out of its socket and causing her to stumble.

"Itai itai itai!" she yelped, struggling to keep up.

"Ita-what?" Jetraven asked, slowing just a bit.

"Forget it!"

"Oka-AAAAH!" Jetraven cried as her foot suddenly passed right through the floor. What appeared to be solid ground ahead proved to be a hologram over a gap, which flickered and disappeared as the pair dropped through it. Both girls shrieked. Jet fell first, unable to stop her forwards momentum and dragging poor Breezy with her. She yelped as they sailed through the air and her stomach dropped. The older girl latched onto Breezy and squeezed her tightly.

They fell for a few eternal seconds before coming into contact with something soft and springy. They bounced, earning startled gasps from the pair as they came to a shaky stop.

Jet, however didn't release Breezy; she had her arms wrapped around the other girl and was holding on tightly, shaking minutely. Her eyes were squeezed shut while she mumbled, "Don't like heights, don't like drops, don't like falling…"

"I-it's okay," Breezy stammered, blinking up at the not-ceiling. Jet whimpered. Breezy glanced around some more, taking in the darkened but mostly empty hallway on either side of them.

"Is it over? Are we dead?" Jet asked slowly, her voice wavering slightly as she couldn't quite stave off a tremble.

"Well, uh, the fall is over. We're not dead. I don't think there are," she chuckled a bit despite herself, " _trampolines_ in heaven."

Jetraven's shivering stopped and she slowly opened her eyes, glancing around and taking stock of their surroundings. "Oh," she said, untangling herself from Breezy. "Yeah," she said sheepishly, reaching up to rub the back of her head. "Sorry 'bout that."

Breezy laughed. "It's all good. It's just, kinda funny. Trampolines. What the hell?" She laughed harder. "Oh, geez..."

Jetraven started laughing slightly. "Yeah, trampolines. Who puts a trampoline at the bottom of a hole!" she giggled, her sides starting to shake as she laughed harder.

Upstairs, the sound of their laughter reached Masquerade and Superior, and the two looked at each other in understandable confusion.

"I think they've lost it," Superior remarked, glancing warily in the direction of the laughter.

His companion scoffed, shaking his head. "As if they had any sanity to begin with." They paused. "They've got 7 minutes left. They'd better hurry or they're going to lose."

A minute passed and Jet managed to calm herself down and began to truly take stock of the situation. "Well, we dropped down a floor, or two… So, let's go find a room with a window and find out where we're at?" she suggested, looking at Breezy. She swallowed her remaining giggles.

"Sounds good. Maybe we can actually get outside with a window. It's not like they said we couldn't break one," she pointed out, looking around for a door. They began the process of getting off the netted trampoline, which was interesting, since it took them a moment to find the opening. She was beginning to panic by the time Jet found it, and the two jumped off the springy platform onto the carpeted hallway floor.

Jet squinted into the darkness and jabbed a finger ahead. "There! There's a door to the left," she said eagerly, darting towards it. Breezy hastened after her, just barely able to make out the rectangular aperture. It was closed, but that didn't seem to phase Jet.

"Alright, time to see what's behind Door Number One," Jet declared, grabbing the door handle and turning it slowly, peeking inside as she did.

Surprisingly, the room was empty, aside from a simple couch and some furnishings and one lone window on the far side of the room. Breezy looked around, mildly surprised at the mundanity.

"Bingo!" Jet said, hurrying over to the window and looking out. "Sweet! We're on the ground floor!" She stood on her tip toes and peered downwards, seeing the ground and the green grass just below.

"Is the window locked?" Breezy asked, eagerly, trying to ignore the voice that whispered that this was too easy.

"Let's see." Jetraven said, reaching down to grasp the end of the window, and yanked on it. A loud shrieking siren split the air, making Jet recoil with a yelp, covering her ears. Breezy gasped and doubled over, clutching her own ears in pain. She shouted a swear, but it was inaudible over the alarm.

Above them, ceiling tiles tumbled down as chainsaws-hung from chains-dropped into the room, the blades whirring in a horrible dark cacophony that droned out the siren. "What the actual hell?" Breezy screamed, falling onto her butt and immediately shuffling backward. She didn't get far before her back hit the wall and her head smacked into it as well, earning another swear. She didn't dare take her eyes off the ceiling.

Jetraven simply dropped to the ground, whimpering, covering her ears and closing her eyes tightly, mumbling nonsense to herself. She curled up in the fetal position and laid there, shivering in fear.

Suddenly, the room was silent, and, for the first time, Breezy could attest to the sheer deafening quality silence possessed. The room remained soundless for a few seconds, a period that seemed like an eternity, before the familiar, horrible shriek of a revving chainsaw split the air again. The girls flinched and Breezy cried out fear, throwing her arms around her head as if they'd protect her.

Footsteps sounded outside the door to the room and a dark figure emerged in the doorway. He wore a familiar, orange-colored hat, spun backwards, an old hockey mask, and in his hands was the largest chainsaw the girls had ever seen.

A/N:

Tyler: Woohoo! The bosses are away which means we get to Par-TAY! *jumps onto the nearest bed and starts dancing*

Cassie: o_o Uh… *starts straightening up the living room, which is in shambles after a certain group tried to play frisbee indoors*

Maron: That vase is Breezy's mom's, you know. And those flowers were given to her by a bunch of special people.

Dan: *shrugs* Could be worse. She could have SCARS on her ARM and FACE. And back. *takes off shirt for emphasis*

Maron and Cassie: *wince* Eheh…

Jewls: I feel you Dan, I've got to deal with having Masquerade's awful message forever engraved on my back.

Masquerade: *looks away*

Tyler: *looks crestfallen* Darn it guys why've you gotta go roll out all the angst… Can't we enjoy the freedom from our writers? Come on we should celebrate!

Ace: ...I am tempted to frisk that child…

Mike: You won't find anything, he's gotten better at hiding crap.

Aidan: Tyler, get down now.

Fabia: ...Do I need to go get him?

Meredith: *sighs* hold on. *goes over to Tyler, reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a fire cracker*

Tyler: Hey! that's mine Merry! Give it back.

Meredith: *eye twitch* go get it. *Throws it out of the building*

Tyler: Aww man! *sprints after it*

Fabia: ...Linus.

Linus: Yes, Princess?

Fabia: ...Make sure he doesn't do anything we'll need to involve the authorities in. I'm not sure JetravenEx and Breezy will be in a coherent enough mental state to deal with that when they get back.

Mike: So they will be back then, *looks at gathered characters* right?

Characters: *glancing at each other*

Some: Probably

Others: Maybe

The Optimists: Nope!

Mike: Why do I get the feeling we're going to get charged with two counts 1st degree murder when this is done.

Aidan: Can't hit us with anything without proof.

Mike: There's this story.

Baron: And likely bodies if they get back.

Lena: So we've degressed to 'if'? *adjusts glasses*

Aidan: Considering how they've fared in DD so far, I doubt they'll survive. Even if they manage to survive DD, Ultimatum will surely do them in.

*Aidan's title changed to Optimist*

Marucho: We should probably make sure they come back, though…

Mason: *annoyed* Why?

Ace: Well, I don't know about you, but I don't really want to have to deal with a bunch of angry readers. Some of them have pitch forks.

Baron: And flamethrowers!

Tyler: *runs back in* Flamethrowers?! Where? *looks around wildly*

Everyone: *deadpans at Tyler*

Meredith: *shakes head*

Superior: They do realize that if Jet and Breezy die, we go with them?

Meredith: Let's see if they can figure it out on their own.

A/N (for real this time)

Hey, this is Breezyfeather and JetravenEx! We're collaborating on this story, but it will not take time away from either Doom and Doccorus nor Ultimatum (although since Ultimatum is currently...um...yeah, I'll get on that)

JetravenEx: Yeah this is something that kind of just happened out of the blue, no real elaborate plan just something to do for the funzies.

Breezyfeather: *points at Jet* Yup! What she said! Thanks for all the support you guys! We love you!


	2. Get the Lifeguard

A/N:

JetravenEx: And here we are at Chapter Numero Dos of the Writers' Ultimatum! In which our *sniff* beloved character's stuck us in their world and are being horribly nasty and cruel in revenge for what we've done as writer's… It's horrible! T.T

Breezyfeather: *sighs* Basically, the only way they let us out, as briefly as they did to do this A/N, was on the stipulation that we a) not leave the room and b) wear handcuffs because they do not trust us with...well, anything we can get our hands on. *waves with hands cuffed in front of her*

Superior: I wanted to put a muzzle on Jetraven, but apparently, we don't have _any._

JetravenEx: I'm not a dog! That'd be cruel and unusual punishment!

Superior: YOU BIT ME! *shows left hand with teeth marks*

JetravenEx: Well, you put your hand right in front of my mouth while I was staging a protest against Masquerade; what do you think I was going to do?! *bares teeth*

Breezyfeather: ...You might want to be quiet before they stick a pair of socks in your mouth.

Superior: *blinks before turning to Masquerade* Why didn't we think of that?

JetravenEx: Breezy! You yelled at me for giving them ideas! Now you're doing it, too?! T.T

Breezyfeather: What? It's not like they have a dresser here! Superior isn't even _wearing_ socks! And I don't think Masquerade wants to take off his shoes!

JetravenEx: How do you know Superior isn't wearing socks?! Superior? *turns to the black haired teen* Have you been with other writers behind my back?!

Breezyfeather: He is wearing SANDALS! DO YOU NOT SEE THIS?! *thrusts both hands toward Superior*

JetravenEx: *blinks and then looks down at Superior's feet* Hey, I designed you with boots; why are you wearing sandals?

Superior: It's summer and it's hot. Plus, someone stole mine. Probably Tyler.

Tyler: *pops out of a random cardboard box* YOU CAN'T PROVE ANYTHING!

JetravenEx: Tyler, why are you in a box?

Tyler: *waves hands wildly in the air* I AM THE BOX GHOST! BEWARE!

Breezyfeather: I knew that was coming!

Superior: Gyron, where are my boots?

Tyler: I don't have them… it was, uh… Mike!

Superior: *rolls eyes* Sure. *to the captive authors* I'll be back in a minute *goes over to Tyler*

Tyler: AH! THE BOX GHOST MUST STAGE A STRATEGIC RETREAT! *dives into box*

Superior: Damn it, get back here! *dives into box after him*

Breezyfeather: ...Is there a chute in there or something? Because that should not be possible.

JetravenEx: I dunno, I'm chained to a chair with handcuffs on my wrists; have someone else check for us.

Breezyfeather: Uh… Hm, who haven't I made angry? Uh... Ren? Is that box bottomless?

Ren: *looks up from computer; shrugs* I'm not sure.

Breezyfeather: Could you please check?

Ren: *sighs* Fine. *walks over to the box*

Tyler: *pops out and grabs Ren* YOU SHALL JOIN US! THE BOX ARMY WILL GROW! *drags Ren into box*

Breezyfeather and Jetraven: O_O

JetravenEx: You see?! You see what happens when I'm not there to keep Tyler in line? He goes and starts building a box army, and he took my Superior! *raises cuffed hands and clenches them into fists* CURSE YOU, GYRON!

Masquerade: *shoots Jet a death glare, stomps over to her and yanks off his boot* I will do it, JetravenEx.

Breezyfeather: *stares at Jet and Masky in surprise*

JetravenEx: *turns to look at Masquerade, raising an eyebrow* I need more damn allies in this place.

Tyler: *pops out from box* All the allies shall join the box army and live in my-OW!

Superior: *drags himself out of the box and bops Tyler on the head* Dammit Gyron, how deep are those bloody tunnels?

Tyler: *grabs head going swirly eyed* Ohh the pain in my brain. *drops back into box*

Superior: *rolls eyes before grasping onto the edge and hauling himself out, falling onto his front, now wearing his boots again*

JetravenEx: *turns away from Masquerade to admire Superior for a moment, whistling appreciatively* Nice ass. *grin*

Breezyfeather: *facepalm* *groans*

Superior: *glares at Jet from the floor* Gag her, please.

Masquerade: Gladly. *yanks off sock*

JetravenEx: I REGRET NOTHING! Mmf!

Masquerade: -_- Finally.

Breezyfeather: *shakes her head and sighs around a laugh*

Superior: *gets to his feet and shakes his head at Jetraven* Ugh, anyways, it's time we send these two back to the story. I think this A/N has gone on long enough.

Breezyfeather: ...Uh, can I protest?

Masquerade and Superior: No.

Breezyfeather: *sighs* It was worth a shot.

Ren: *dragging himself from the box* Not really.

Breezyfeather: Thanks. You're a huge help, Ren.

Superior: Good to see you made it out of there alive.

Ren: ...What is _wrong_ with that child?

Breezyfeather: *looks at Jet and the exasperated look on her face* ...Many things *she translates*

Oserian: *emerges from a portal and looks around* Is the A/N done yet?

Superior: Almost.

Oserian: Do you know how hard it is to try and maintain consistency in this story? I had to stop time in our world to bring them here, and now I'm going to have to drag them back to the precise moment I took them from and restart time while suppressing all recollections of the events that occurred in the A/N for the duration of the story!

Breezyfeather: *appropriately freaked out* Or you could just, you know. Leave us be here.

Masquerade: ...you'd rather stay here, handcuffed and tied to a chair?

Breezyfeather: Beats chainsaws and memory wiping!

JetravenEx: *nods head vigorously before spitting out the sock* Blech! That's foul! Note to self for future fics: Socks make awful gags! *turns to characters* And I'm all for staying here, handcuffed, and-

Superior: Get your brain out of the gutter!

Breezyfeather: Oh my gosh...

JetravenEx: What?! I was going to say in good company! … Honest!

Breezyfeather: *rubs at her face out of...she doesn't even know what anymore* Now all I can think of is that song Bad Company by Bad Company.

JetravenEx: *perks up* Oh! Now I wanna hear this song!

Superior: *pinches the bridge of his nose* Oserian, just send them back.

Oserian: *nods* Agreed *walks over to Jetraven and Breezy, her eyes glowing red* Time to go to sleep, and when you awaken, you won't remember any of these happenings.

Back to the Story!:

' _Oh my God, I'm going to die!'_ was the only thought running through Jetraven's head as she curled up tightly into a ball on the floor. She had no recollection at all about the brief interaction she'd had with Superior, Masquerade, Ren, Tyler and Breezy in the A/N. Damn, Oserian was good at memory suppression.

Back on track, Jetraven was busy panicking, her heart pounding harder and faster than it ever had before, her hands pushing down on her ears so hard it almost hurt. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep out the rev of the chainsaws, or the fear swirling in her belly.

The person with the hockey mask and chainsaw advanced into the room.

Breezy whimpered, peeking through the crack in between her arms in abject terror. He turned his masked face toward her and she felt her limbs freeze. Oh god. Now all she could think about was her friend forcing her to play Mortal Kombat just a few days before. Jason. _Oh my god_. She curled in on herself in a futile attempt to pretend this wasn't happening.

He let out a laugh as he took in the sight of Jetraven and Breezy cowering before him. Grinning, he lowered the chainsaw, the teeth on the blade slowing when he took his one hand off it to reach up and push up the hockey mask. The rev faded. Breezy lifted her head up off the floor at the unexpected silence, but was unable to quell the shaking of her limbs. Billy sneered when he saw Jet peeking warily up at him and approached her, chainsaw in hand.

"Ha! What's the matter, Jet?" Billy taunted, hefting the chainsaw so he held it over her cowering form. Breezy's heart leapt to her throat and she sat up, alarmed. "How's it feel to be the other end of someone set on hurting you-no, on _killing you_. I had to deal with that when you made Masquerade lose it-twice!- and had him come after me." He scowled, his hands shaking on the chain saw. "He cut me apart and I was fortunate enough to live, though you considered ending my life there, didn't you? You considered having me die, and letting Julie suffer through my death!"

Billy lashed out and kicked at the elder writer, forcing her onto her back. "Hey!" Breezy protested, but he ignored her. He pressed his foot down on Jet's arm, making her cry out in pain. Her eyes widened in terror, her breath and heart rate quickened to extremely high rates as he fired up the chainsaw again, this time raising it over her.

"Now it's my turn, to decide whether you perish here, or if you have to live the rest of your life horribly scarred," Billy declared ferociously, hefting the saw up to bring it down.

"NO!" Breezy screamed, shooting to her feet, but she was not quick enough. Jet's pupils shrank in terror and she flinched violently, when a hand grasped onto Billy's shoulder. The Sub-Terra brawler froze. He turned his head slightly, eyes widening. Julie stood behind him, eyes wide with sadness and horror.

"What are you doing? Don't do this, Billy," she pleaded, her hand tightening. The cadence of her voice was all wrong; it shook and wavered, like something was caught in her throat. Here and there, it cracked, and she choked a bit on a breath. "It's not worth it." Tears sprung to her eyes. "What happened was horrible, yes, but you're alive." Her expression hardened almost imperceptibly. "Rather than lowering yourself to this, to taking revenge, you should be out there showing everyone that you won't let these injuries beat you."

"Julie," Billy breathed, the chainsaw slowing to a stop before lowering it to the side. A bit of the wildness in his eyes faded. He released the weapon, causing it to hit the ground with a deafening clatter before he turned to face her. "But, I'm scarred," he mumbled, his hand drifting towards his left shoulder, where he'd been stabbed the worst.

Julie forced a small smile through the tears. "So? You're still alive, and I know you can show everyone how tough you are-by beating that masked clone and his flunkies back on Earth while we try to rescue Dan." Her watery smile broadened marginally. "You can be the hero-the champion this time."

"You-you really think that?" Billy sounded as if he could barely believe her.

Julie nodded. "Dual Dimensions was rough-a lot of people got hurt; Shun, you, Masquerade, even Jet's own characters suffered. But, through it all, we showed how strong we could really be."

"I hurt you in Dual Dimensions," Billy protested. His eyes watered as he rested his sweaty hands on her bare shoulders. "I scared you and tried to hurt you; how can you say it was a good thing when I was hurt and hurt the person I cared about the most?"

Julie smiled sadly. "You've suffered a lot, all that pain you went through, the injuries. It brought perfect clarity to the fact that you care about me, and you don't want to wait around moping about what you did wrong. And for me..." She wrapped her arms around him. "I saw what might happen if I lost you, and… I couldn't bear the thought of it."

Jetraven glanced at Breezy while the two characters were having their moment and angled her head to the door. Breezy nodded. Jet quickly and quietly crawled out of the room, working hard to avoid drawing any attention to herself. Breezy did the same. She stepped as lightly as she could in her crouching position, eyes locked on Julie's closed ones. She wasn't sure what the bubbly girl would do if she saw her trying to escape.

Of course, true to her awful luck, Julie's eyes opened slightly. Typical. Breezy froze, her heart in her throat, as her deep blue eyes focused on her. She didn't dare breathe. The girl's mouth flattened into a thin line, but she didn't release Billy from the hug. She'd seen her; why wasn't she pointing it out to Billy? Some emotion flickered in her eyes, something Breezy couldn't interpret, and she opened her eyes wide and glanced pointedly at the door.

She stared at 12-year-old Julie in disbelief. Billy shifted in her embrace, earning a startled look from the pre-teen and a flinch from Breezy. Julie's lips parted. "Go!", she mouthed.

Breezy didn't need to be told twice. She shot to her feet and dove as quickly and quietly from the room as she could.

Outside of the door Jet had dropped to her knees, panting hard.

"Thank goodness for Julie," Jet muttered to herself, shifting to sit against the wall, placing a hand on her still-racing heart. "I thought for sure that was it for me."

"Let's not stay here," Breezy whispered, grabbing the girl's hand. "Time! And I do not trust that kid in room full of _chainsaws!_ " This time, she yanked the Jet to her feet and led the charge down the hall.

Jet stumbled. "Ah! Easy on the arm!" she said, before she began to run as well, pulling even with Breezy. "How much time do we have left before Masquerade and Superior come after us?"

"I dunno!"

Jetraven huffed. "Ah it doesn't matter, as long as they're not popping up in front of us anytime soon." She frowned. "So, Viki's got me, Runo had her crack (granted I didn't do much against her now that i think about it…), Billy had a go, who's left…?" she muttered, narrowing her eyes as she thought it over.

"Five minutes!" Masquerade called out.

"Oh, SHUT UP!" Breezy shouted. Immediately afterwards, she regretted her decision, but fear was making her do weird things, too. Only five minutes...

"Dan?" she suggested after a moment.

Jetraven shook her head, looking a bit more frazzled. "I don't think so, I mean he's trapped on Docorrus, but I haven't done anything to him that's _too_ bad. He might be mad about Shun-oh dear. I still have to deal with Shun," she muttered glancing around worriedly.

Breezy moaned out. "Ugh, I will, too…" Then, she perked up a bit. "Do the limitations of our stories apply here?" They slid a bit as they turned a corner.

"What do you mean by limitations? Oh! You mean that would Shun have his ninja powers gone?

"Yeah!"

"Uhh.." Jet frowned, squinting her left eye thoughtfully. "Not sure…"

Breezy sighed, but because she was panting from the running, it came out more as a thick cluster of exhales. "We're gonna die. Why did neither of us write about priests in our stories?"

Jet pulled a face. "Priests? I don't-oh… you mean to preside over our funerals…? Eh."

"No. So I can go to confession and get absolution before I die," Breezy shot back. At Jet's blank stare, she rolled her eyes. "Catholic school kid. Faith In Action award. Father and Mrs. Pat literally made up an award for me and Campus Ministry at the end-of-the-year ceremony."

Jetraven shook her head. "I feel so sorry for you-granted, I guess I can't really talk since all my 'awards' to my name, are XC golden plate awards ranging from 'Most Improved' to 'Most Dedicated'."

"Good for you!" Breezy congratulated her as they rounded another corner-only to collide with a warm body. The girls shrieked while the person simply grunted, and all three fell to the ground.

"Five guesses." Jet muttered rubbing her forehead as she sat up and caught sight of their 'speed bump'.

"Five?" Breezy asked lowly. She shook her hands, hoping to relieve the aching in her wrists from cushioning her fall.

"First number that came to mind-Oh hi, Shun." Jetraven said waving at the ninja, who had gotten to his feet so quickly she wasn't sure if he had even fallen at all. "You wouldn't happen to be willing to point us in the direction of the exit?" she asked hopefully, grinning nervously.

"No," he said, with an impossibly straight face.

Jet's face fell as she picked herself up, extending a hand back to Breezy to help the other girl to her feet. "Oh well, can you let us pass then?" she tried again, turning back to Shun. "Or are you steamed about the whole Victor-stealing-your-ninja-abilities?"

"Why are you reminding these people of what you've done to them?" the ginger asked, throwing her hands in Shun's direction.

"Because I'm in a haunted house, been chased by zombies with no capacity for dancing, took a fall from a floor above, and then was trapped in a room with chainsaws as far as the eye can see! My mouth's kind of just moving rapidly without a lot of input from my brain!" Jetraven fired at her. Even in the dim light, Breezy could see the deer-in-the-headlights expression on her face. "I ramble, I can't help it! When I'm nervous the words just come out, also when I'm excited, but that's beside the point!" She waved her hands in front of herself. "Can you please let us pass? I promise things get better for you in Doom and Docorrus," she offered, putting on her best puppy dog eyes and clasping her hands together as she turned pleadingly to Shun.

Being the ever-stoic, possibly insentient ninja, he did not yield to her attempts at adorability. Instead, he simply stood there, staring at them.

"He reminds you of Kratos, too, right? It's not just me?" Breezy whispered fearfully.

"From Tales of Symphonia? Oh yeah," Jetraven agreed, nodding her head and grabbing her chin. "Though is he as tough to get by?" she mused, trying to edge around Shun.

Instead of shouting "JUDGEMENT" like Breezy half-expected, Shun simply fixed Jet with another, possibly more callous glare, and the girl wilted. "So...yes?" the ginger murmured, backing away.

"I dunno, is the trampoline at the _end_ of the hall?" Jet asked, gesturing behind them. "Because if not, maybe the doors that way…" Before Breezy could say anything Jet frowned and shook her head. "But, if we were going the wrong way, Shun wouldn't be blocking our path in this direction… Wanna just rush him and hope we live?" Jet asked glancing to Breezy. "I mean we might end up looking like pincushions afterwards but at least we tried right?" She laughed weakly. "Right?"

"...Didn't Masky say they couldn't…?" She glanced uncertainly at Shun. "And please stop saying what we're about to do in front of him."

Jet choked out something resembling a chuckle. "Sorry, only having a complete mental breakdown going on inside. Forgive me, I nearly got disected by Billy _with a chainsaw_!" she squeaked, an edge to her voice.

"...Fair point," Breezy conceded, guiltily.

"Look the clock's ticking! We need to make a move! For NARNIA!" Jet cried, raising her fist before lowering it slightly frowning. "Wait… I didn't actually read that series… Um… For Sylvarant then? or Vestroia? What's a good place to shout?" she asked, turning to Breezy.

"Oh my-for goodness-" Breezy just stared at her friend, trying to make sense of this. "Who cares?" She snatched her hand and aimed a kick at Shun's legs, which he deftly avoided, and pulled the girl along with her. She ignored her continued attempts at making anxiety-induced conversation. "Less talking, more running!" she yelped again.

"That's a good plan! I can get behind it! Running! There's a solid plan-always good, running." Jet said a bit too loud, once again stumbling from being dragged before she started getting her legs working as well.

Breezy grimaced. "Jet, shut-" And that was when something beeped and her feet were no longer beneath her, and the girls were tumbling through the air.

"Oh come on! What's with all these pitfall traps! AAHHHH!" Jet cried as they plummeted her stomach dropping with the motion. However, rather than slam into a hard floor-or trampoline-at the bottom of their fall, they hit dark, icy cold water with two loud splashes. It felt like hitting concrete, only wetter. Jet sank under for a moment before she kicked to the surface, breaching and taking in a deep lungful of air. "Buck, that's cold! Last time I checked, I didn't sign up for the polar bear plunge!" she complained, turning to her left. "Right Breezy-Breezy?" she trailed off as she spun around, looking for any sign of her friend.

The girl surfaced with a gasp, immediately whipping her shoulder-length hair out of her face. "God!" she sputtered, pawing at her eyes. "What th-the hell?"

"Cold water," Jet said as she peered around.

"No shit!" Breezy commented harshly, gracing Jet with one of the rare instances in which she swore.

"Where's the side?" Jet ignored her; she swore so often now that it didn't impact her as much as it once would've. Her mind had snapped into Lifeguard Mode, her sole focus on getting her and Breezy to the side before they got sick-or worse.

However, besides the dim light emanating from the hole in the ceiling above them, the room was pitch dark, though Jet could see some white tiles on the wall closest to the hole. Which hopefully meant they were in a pool.

"I dunno; it's too fr-fricking dark," Breezy chattered. "WHAT THE HELL MASQUERADE?" Her voice echoed just as it would in any room with a swimming pool, but she was unprepared for a reply.

"Well, Jet is a lifeguard," Masquerade said casually, his voice coming from somewhere to the right. "Not a very good one, considering she's never handled an actual situation..."

"So, we decided we'd give her a scenario to see how she fares when she has another life in her hands," Superior's voice added his voice sounding from the left. Breezy gulped.

Jet's expression darkened. "Great," She muttered as she treaded water. "I worry so much about getting stuck with a situation in real life; I don't need one in this world, too…" she grumbled as she turned to Breezy. "You all right at the moment?" she asked.

"I know how to swim; I'm fine," she stammered, abandoning treading to float on her back. "And I sound whacked because I'm scared, not because I'm cold." _Which is not_ totally _a lie_. She bit her lip. _I'm the target now, aren't I?_

Jet nodded. "Good, good to hear," she said. "We need to get to the side though. I can tread for 10 minutes straight if need be, but the cold isn't…"

"Please, less t-talking, more r-swimming," Breezy pleaded, flipping over and kicking her way to the left.

"Okay, I wasn't sure which way to go, but I guess, when in doubt, go left…"

"Well, you know. I trust Superior more than Masky," Breezy stuttered.

"I'll swim ahead," Jet announced as she began to swim strongly in a front crawl, pulling ahead of Breezy and disappearing into the gloom.

Breezy swallowed, trying to banish the knot of terror in her stomach as she began to swing her arms in a front crawl. She kept her head above of the water, though; she could hardly see anything as it was, but putting her face in the water seemed like inviting someone to hold her head down.

A soft thud was heard up ahead followed by Jet's cry of 'OW!'

"What?" Breezy demanded.

Several loud splashes sounded ahead followed by a string of curses from Jet.

"Stupid, blasted, evil, damned wall! I banged my head!" Jet called, "Oh, that smarts..."

Breezy nearly choked on a fear-induced laugh. "Hardly the worst thing that's happened today," she muttered, keeping her arms in front of her as she powerfully kicked after her friend.

And nearly collided head on with Jet. Luckily, the elder girl pulled back at the last moment, splashing wildly to evade Breezy. They avoided each other, but Breezy did get a faceful of water.

"Eyak!" she exclaimed, flinching.

"Sorry!" Jet said, quickly. "Wasn't expecting to nearly run into you there."

"It's fine-why are you still in the pool?"

"It's a wall." Jet said. "Superior's voice was coming from a speaker on it, it's completely sheer. Nowhere for us to climb out."

"The hell?" Breezy kicked away from the left, beginning to panic. Her waterlogged shoes were starting to get noticeably heavy. "O-okay, was there a ledge under your feet at all?"

"Why do you think I was splashing so much after I hit the wall?"

"Because you hit your head!"

"I hit it head on! I sank a foot or two before I recovered and surfaced!" Jet snapped, then she growled. "Nevermind, I'll swim to the right. You'll know if I hit a wall again, hopefully." She sped off to the right, kicking and swimming as hard as she could with her heavy, soaked clothing slowing her down. She was splashing a lot with her movements. Jet might have been a lifeguard and a decently quick swimmer, but she was loud and kicked up a lot of water.

Breezy wiped her face, took a deep breath, and kicked to the right of where Jet was going. "I'll check this end," she called, streamlining her fingers and kicking beneath the water to keep herself quiet.

A few moments passed before the sound of shifting water petered off to the right, and then Jet gave a shout.

"Hey! I found the side! We can get out over here!" Jet called over to her, several soft splashes sounded to the right. She was crawling out.

"Oh, thank god," Breezy breathed, immediately looping back and heading toward her voice.

"Hurry, hurry, who knows what's next! They might decide to drain the pool!" Jet cried, there was a pause. "Oh god, I hope they don't do that, I don't want them to suck my intestines right out of me…"

"...What?" Breezy panted. "The? Hell?"

"I'll tell you after you get out! Just hurry up!" Jet urged, an edge to her voice. "I don't know where Masquerade and Superior are at…" There was two bright flashes of light that illuminated the room before dimming and leaving it enveloped in darkness. "Uh, nevermind...I found them."

"Abandoning your friend, Jet?" Superior's voice came from the dark. Jet was just able to make out the android's shape nearby, but she could no longer see Masquerade.

"I'm fine!" Breezy called out, defiantly, but could hardly ignore the intense sense of foreboding building in her chest. She began to swim like she was at a meet, paying no heed to how much water she displaced in her haste.

"She'll get out!" Jet said, though her voice sounded panicked as she hurried for the edge, nearly falling in. "Hurry up, Breezy, before they try something!"

"You mean something like this?" Masquerade's voice came from somewhere by the edge. Something clicked on and two glowing rings came to life on the end of a silver rod, the rings crackling with electricity.

Breezy recognized the stick for what it was immediately and felt her insides chill. Her limbs began to tingle just looking at it. "Jet…"

Masquerade grinned as he dropped the stick into the water. The liquid sparked where the rings came into contact with it, and it shorted out. Breezy choked, suddenly unable to move. The world was oddly...fuzzy. And painful. Her muscles were suddenly on fire where before they'd been frozen. And it _hurt_.

"Fetch," he said, turning to Jet.

Jet didn't hesitate. She jumped in, performing a compact jump without even thinking about it. She surfaced several feet away from the edge before she headed in the direction where she'd seen Breezy. The cold gripped her muscles in sharp claws but she paid it no mind, her sole focus on getting her friend out of the water.

"Come on! Come on!" Jet said, squinting in the dark, trying to make out Breezy. "Breezy, I can't see you! Try to splash, cough, make a sound, _please!_ "

Breezy would have done as her friend requested if only her ears were above water. Instead, all sound registered as warped, distorted by water. That was silly. She felt oddly euphoric. Was that normal? Probably not, but she couldn't really bring herself to care. She was sleepy…

Jet whirled around, searching desperately for Breezy squinting her eyes to the point they were practically closed in her desperation to catch a glimpse of her. "I can't see her!" she cried. "Please, Masquerade, Superior! Give me some light! I'm begging you!"

Masquerade snorted from his place on the edge. "I don't think so."

"Fine," Superior said, purple energy gathering in his hand illuminating him and the immediate area around him. "But this is all you're gonna get!" he called, hurling the ball of energy out over the water, illuminating the surface. Jet was just able to just catch sight of Breezy before the ball of energy dissipated as it hit the water's surface. She was floating there, face down, her limbs twitching.

"Breezy!" Jet called as she threw herself into swimming, her clothes slowing her down. " _I wish I could lose these clothes…'_ She thought, but it would take as long to lose them as it would to get to Breezy.

Jet grabbed Breezy's arm and after a little bit of struggle she flipped her over so the redhead was floating her back. "Breezy!" she cried, smacking her cheek lightly, trying to rouse the redhead. She coughed weakly, but didn't otherwise move.

Jet glanced around then cursed. "I don't have a tube!" she said. The floatation device that all lifeguards used was not present. She would have to swim Breezy to the end, keep the girl's head above the water and keep herself above the water's surface as well. Great.

"Fuck my life," Jetraven growled, turning so her back was to the floating Breezy. Then she reached out her left arm and wrapped it around Breezy's torso, winding her arm so it was under the girl's arms keeping her from slipping out of her grip. "Let's try this," she said to herself with gritted teeth as she began to swim, dragging Breezy along behind her. However Breezy's head easily slipped under water despite Jetraven's grip.

"Th-that won't work," Jet muttered, shifting around so that she was hugging the girl from behind to prop her up. "Come on, I'm so c-close..." she gasped out as she kicked as hard as she could, adding her right arm to the exercise after she was certain her one armed hold could keep Breezy up above the water. The water was so _fricking_ cold!

Jet grunted as her back hit the edge with a thud. Sharp pain shot up her back from the unexpected collision. But she glared at the edge and then she grimaced.

"How am I going to g-get her out of the water?" Jet cried, turning her head to look at Superior and Masquerade. "I can't do it alone! Please help me!"

Masquerade crouched down by Jet, grinning at the girl. "What's in it for me?" he asked.

Jet looked taken aback. "What do you want?"

Masquerade gave her a look. "Have you forgotten already?"

"Right, revenge… Look, you can take me, just don't let Breezy drown!" Jet firmly beseeched him, yanking Breezy up the girl having begun to sink slightly.

Masquerade chuckled. "Fine," he acquiesced, nodding to Superior. The black haired teen moving to the left of Breezy, Jet edging to the right.

"Grab her arms," Jet directed, struggling hard to lift Breezy's arms, the girl nearly sinking out of her grip. Thankfully, Superior easily grabbed Breezy's left arm, and that freed up Jet to better support the girl's body in the water.

"Give me the other arm," Superior said, nodding to Breezy's right arm. Jet did as he asked and lifted it for Superior to grab with his other hand. The android grasped the girl's wrists in a solid grip and pulled, bringing Breezy's shoulders and head above the edge.

"I'll push from below!" Jet said, swimming to Breezy's legs and she boosted the sopping redhead up and out of the water. Superior's inhuman strength did most of the work as he easily pulled Breezy from the water.

"She's out," Superior announced, dragging Breezy six feet away from the edge of the water, before letting her lie on the surface. He crouched beside Breezy and lowered his head to her face, inspecting the ginger, his right hand drifting to the her neck, feeling for her pulse.

Jet tried to haul herself out of the water, her arms straining, her whole body shaking from the cold and exhaustion. She fell back with a splash, driving Masquerade a few steps back to avoid getting wet.

"Come on, Jet, don't tell me you can't get out of the pool," he taunted, with a sneer on his face.

"Give me a minute!" Jet growled as she kicked her feet and pushed hard against the edge, hauling herself out. She managed to get her upper body onto the tile, while her legs hung over the water. "Okay… okay… tired… need... need a minute."

Superior nudged Breezy. "She has a pulse, but I'm not getting any response… What should I do?" he asked, lifting his head to look at Masquerade.

Masquerade shrugged as he reached down to grab Jet by her bicep. The girl gave a cry of protest as he hauled her roughly to the feet. "Time's up."

"It's been that way for 5 minutes, actually," Superior commented off to the side.

"You jerks, you wanted to wait and see if we drowned," Jet grumbled glaring at Masquerade. "You could have helped!"

Masquerade laughed, ignoring her comment. "It was worth the extra wait, now come on. You have delayed your comeuppance for far too long," he said, pulling out his DT before he teleported away from the pool, leaving a disgruntled Superior with the unconscious Breezyfeather.

/-/

It was a relatively peaceful evening, all things considered. At least, it was for Princess Cassandra, who was wandering in the garden atop the Vestal Palace. Maron and the others had gone for dinner, but Cassie had politely declined, wanting to take some time for herself to think things over. Keith and Mira had imparted upon her a habit of considering the morality of people's actions, as it was a quality they felt was hugely necessary in a monarch. As such, the decisions made by the rest of her fellow cast members was weighing on her mind.

Were Masquerade and the others in the right to seek revenge on the two writers? Cassie wasn't sure how to rate their actions. Everyone had seemed so angry with them-even Mira and Keith. Mira had been tight-lipped about the whole incident, but something about her body language suggested that she felt they deserved their 'punishment'. Keith, on the other hand, was considerably harder to read, but he hadn't protested-not even when Superior expressed slight misgivings about the situation.

Even if Keith and Mira thought it was the right thing to do, was it really so? After all, if it weren't for Breezyfeather, Cassie wouldn't exist. Obsidian wouldn't, either, which was part of the reason, or so Cassie believed, that Obsidian hadn't seemed as eager about the situation as everyone else. Mylene hadn't seemed psyched about the plan, either, which was odd, considering how bloodthirsty she had been in the past. But, again, Cassie knew that without Breezyfeather, she wouldn't be around.

So...who was in the right?

It was when a high-pitched beeping cut into her train of thought that she realized she'd been staring at the same patch of marigolds for the past several minutes. Mildly confused as to who would be calling her, she held up her wrist as though she was checking the time. The incoming message appeared above the Baku-Collar, but instead of featuring a video of her contact, static was present. She blinked.

"Hello?"

"Hello," a robotic, male voice spoke up from the other end. "Am I speaking to the Vestal Queen-To-Be, Cassandra?"

Cassie hesitated for a moment. "Give me your name and I shall give you mine."

"My name is of no importance, your highness," the voice replied smoothly. "I've merely come to ask you a question. Tell me, do you care for the people of your world? For your friends, Obsidian, Saffron, and the rest of the Caretakers?"

"...Are you threatening me?" Cassie returned, her voice surprisingly steady for someone panicking internally.

"Oh no, my dear, quite the opposite, in fact. I'm offering you the opportunity to _save_ them, and many more whose lives will be lost if action is not taken."

Cassie didn't speak for a moment, trying to decide whether or not taking the bait was a good decision. Oh, how she wished Keith was there to advise her on-

No. Keith wasn't always going to be there. He and Mira weren't the heirs-she was. This was her call, her kingdom to protect.

"What do you mean?"

"I cannot explain in detail, but bring all who you trust to _listen_ to logic. You can bring as many as you'd like. Refrain from bringing any of those closely tied to the Brawlers though, that could bring about… some terrible negative effects if you do," the voice said.

"Bring them where?" she questioned, her powerful facade slipping. She was well aware that this request greatly diminished her protective guard-should she decide to follow up on this strange invitation.

"I will leave you coordinates, I will be waiting for you at the Windmill Diner. If you followed my advice and don't bring the Brawlers (or their close friends) I will reveal myself. If you go _against_ my advice… you will have no hope, and believe me, I will see you all long before you see _me._ "

And just like that, the connection closed, leaving Cassie feeling very alone, and very responsible-but for what, she could hardly guess.

A/N:

Tyler: Do we get to party some more in the A/N again?

Aidan: No we're plotting revenge dingbat!

Cassie: Oh, you say that, too. Huh. *goes back to musing*

Aidan: Of course I do! Jet made me suffer extreme pain before I was brainwashed into serving Naga, plus look at all she's done to Billy, Masquerade and Shun!

Cassie: I meant that you say 'Dingbat'... Guilty conscience?

Aidan: what no. I call Gyron a number of things, bonehead, dimwit, dingbat, being the top 3.

Cassie: ...Hm... *walks out of the room*

Mike: What's eating her?

Tyler: 0.0 something's eating her?! What?! But she looked perfectly fine! Is there a parasite inside her or something?!

Maron, Obsidian and the others: -_- No.

Mike: It's an expression Tyler…

Tyler: Oh! Why didn't you say so in the first place!

Superior: Okay, I have an unconscious Breezyfeather; what the heck am I supposed to do?! I don't have lifeguard skills like JetravenEx!

Lena: Is she breathing?

Superior: *looks helpless as he peers down at the unconscious Breezyfeather.* Uh… I think I saw her chest move…

Lena: …*walks over* You're supposed to listen. *kneels down and tilts ear near Breezy's mouth* She's breathing. She'll be fine. *walks away*

Superior: *sighs* Hey I was built to fight, I don't know this stuff!

Jessica: Great, since JetravenEx is in the story, I have to go by Jessica since JetravenEx gets shortened to 'Jet'

Obsidian: *shrugs* Could be worse. You could be getting tortured by Masquerade right now.

Jessica: *blinks* good point.

Meredith: Speaking of which, Jess why aren't you helping JetravenEx?

Jessica: *shrugs* I don't want to get on Masky's bad side.

Meredith: *looks at her incredulously* You're risking the death of your creator to avoid pissing off Masquerade?

Jessica: When you say it like that it sounds stupid!

Obsidian: ...I wonder why….

Superior: Okay, now I have an unconscious but alive Breezyfeather…. What do I do?

Jessica: *glances around for any optimists* I dunno if that's a question you should open to the peanut gallery… Especially if Dan's around.

Dan: *frothing at the mouth* *screams until he passes out*

Everyone: ….

Keane: ...Good talk.

Superior: No seriously, I don't know what to do with her, and Dan's… input… didn't exactly _help._

Runo: *slasher smile* I'll take her, if you want….

Superior: *edges away from Runo* uhhh, no thanks.

Meredith: Why are you backing away from her? You're an android for pete's sake.

Superior: She's a Haos brawler. I'm a Darkus human from Destria, aka a Darkus Bakugan, she can send one of two Haos bakugan after me… I kind of like living…

Sid: *sighs angrily* If it really bothers you, just go tie her up in a room or something.

Maron: ...That sounds harsh.

Sid: Do you have any better ideas?

Meredith: Runo, at some point, we're battling-when most of us aren't caught up plotting revenge, I need to show this version of Superior that he shouldn't be afraid of Haos Bakugan.

Superior: *groans* Great.

Bakugan!Superior: Wait, but she has Splight _and_ Tigrerra! I clock in at 500 gs! Splight would be a hard fight.

Runo: *laughing like a maniac* Sucks to suck! *deranged*

Meredith: *eye twitch* We'll see who's sucking when I whoop your butt! MY Superior has abilities that can devastate his opponent, even those that are far stronger than him. We'll show you.

Jessica: Okay, okay, we're dragging this out. *separates the two* focus on Writers' Ultimatum not on fighting each other!

The two girls: *growling*

Superior: *pulls Meredith further back from Runo* easy Mere.

Jessica: Anyways uh, how'd we end this last time?

Aidan: Where were you last time?

Jessica: I was sleeping.

Skylord: Being awesome is exhausting you know.

Obsidian: Right… awesome….

Cassie: *outside the room* ...What should I do…?

Real A/N:

JetravenEx: So I get a quick second before Masquerade does horrible things to me to say hi readers! I hope you're enjoying this. If you are you're all sadistic jerks.

Breezyfeather: ….Like you aren't enjoying writing this, you masochist.

JetravenEx: I regret nothing, and besides that you're just as bad! Or going to be once we get into ultimatum! I don't even know how bad that's going to get!

Breezyfeather: … *looks away in frustration* Touche. Anyway! Thanks everyone! Please sign a petition to ask everyone that we don't die, because if we die, you don't get updates :/ EVER.


	3. Deceptive Shadows

A/N:

Oserian: I'm not bringing the writers' out for this *lying down on her side eyes half closed*

Meredith: Yeah… Breezy's unconscious, Jet's being… Jet with Masquerade.

Superior: Can someone do something about this situation? *points at unconscious Breezyfeather lying on the floor*

Tyler: *pops out of box* You know what I just realized?

Everyone: …*fear* What…?

Tyler: JetravenEx is a raven which is a bird, and then Breezyfeather has feathers which is from birds, so we should call them 'the birds' rather than brutally destroy the fourth wall by calling them 'the writers'

Mike: But they are the writers… And you placed C4 charges on the fourth wall right when this story _started_ it can't get more destroyed than that.

Mason: ...That explains...so much and yet…

Fabia: ...So little…

Saffron: ….Well alright then. *Baku-Collar(?) beeps* Hm? *leaves room to take call*

Meredith: Well if no one else wants to suddenly be insightful, let's move onto the chapter.

Chapter 3

Superior frowned as he looked down at Breezy blankly. "Sooo, what do I do with you?" he muttered.

He tilted his head to the side narrowing his eyes. "You're not going to wake up are you?" He knelt down and shook her shoulder a bit trying to see if he could rouse her.

Her head lolled to the side, but she did not wake up. Superior heaved an exasperated sigh as he got to his feet and looked around the area.

"Hey, can someone help me out here? Breezy's unconscious and I don't know what to do," He called cupping his hands around his mouth to raise his voice.

Someone hit the lights, leaving Superior blinking a bit before he turned to inspect his comrade. "Just call an ambulance," Fabia suggested as she approached. The white coattails of her vest fluttered when she stopped beside him.

Superior gave her a blank stare, "What's an ambulance?"

"...How do you not know that?" Fabia questioned, blinking.

"I'm from another planet."

"So am I!"

Superior flushed. "Well, I haven't been on Earth long, I've been here what…" He tilted his head to the side violet eyes narrowing as he mulled it over. "I was here at Christmas… Then I've been here…. I'd say just short of a day."

Fabia sighed. "Ho boy… An ambulance is basically an emergency medical vehicle for transporting patients to the hospital."

"Okay, how do I call for an ambulance?"

"With a phone…You call 911 and ask for an ambulance."

Superior nodded. "Okay, I'll do that, I just need to find a phone."

"Nobody call an ambulance," came a raspy, angry voice. The duo turned to discover Ace approaching them.

"Why?" Fabia asked.

"She doesn't deserve an ambulance," he snarled. "She's made Mira suffer!"

Superior frowned raising an eyebrow. "But, she's been unconscious for a good 5 minutes by now. I'm fairly certain that's not good for a human," he said.

"She'll be fine; most people hit by a shock baton recover within a few minutes," Ace rolled his eyes.

"Do you not see how white she is?" Fabia protested, pointing to the deathly pallor of the soaking wet redhead.

"Her temperature is at 91.4 degrees," Superior said his optics turning red behind his visor. "That is far lower than any human I've encountered. Which... admittedly is few, but still."

Ace rolled his eyes again. "Why do you care? She's already put you through the ringer, Fabia."

Fabia seemed to consider this for a moment. "I have my reasons," she finally decided.

"And I bear no ill will towards her," Superior said with a shrug. "She is not my writer."

"Hmph," the Darkus brawler grunted. "Whatever. But the EMS isn't exactly going to be helpful, in this case."

"How so?" Fabia questioned.

"They might try to call the cops on us when Breezy wakes up. She'll probably tell them everything."

"Oh… That might be… problematic I guess…" Superior said blinking slightly before turning to Fabia and asking in a hushed voice. "What are cops?"

"Oh my gosh," she whispered, rubbing at her forehead. "Police."

"Oh, law enforcement, okay." Superior said nodding, then his face screwed up in confusion as he glanced at Breezy before looking at the other two. "Then what do I do with her?"

Ace's face darkened with sinister intent. "I'll take her, if you like. I know a few people who have a score to settle with her."

Superior's eyes widened, displaying his… lack of enthusiasm for the idea. "On second thought I think I'll just… call Meredith… She might have an idea what to do…" Then he frowned. "Where do I find a phone?"

Ace's expression turned angry. "Fabia, if you tell him where the phone is…."

Fabia shot him a menacing glare. "Don't you _dare_ threaten me, Ace Grit."

"Excuse me?" he growled. "Is that a challenge?"

"I'd call it self defense, actually," she shot back.

Superior glanced warily between the two of them before taking a step back. "You know what, I'll just…" He knelt down and scooped Breezy into his arms and straightened up with the unconscious girl in his grip. "I'll just leave you two...alone." He said before he slowly backed away.

"I'll show you self defense!" Ace cried, darting towards the Neathian princess.

That proved to be a horrible mistake, one that Superior had seen coming from a mile away. Fabia easily ducked under his intended assault and turned his momentum around, sending him flying into the pool. He hit the water with a yelp and a loud splash, providing Superior with the opening he needed to make his escape.

Hastily exiting the pool room, he made his way to the stairs shaking his head while muttering to himself. "Why are all the female Haos brawlers so freaking scary?!"

/-/

JetravenEx winced as Masquerade pulled her by her arm down a long dark hallway. She had lost track of where they were in the mansion. They could be on the top floor, the basement, or anywhere in between. She hadn't the foggiest as her surroundings was limited to stone wall to the left, stone wall to the right, stone ceiling, stone floor, everything stone! Then to add to the medieval dungeon feel, the hallways were lined with torches.

"Masquerade… Where are we going?" JetravenEx asked.

Masquerade glanced back at her and the smile he gave her was worthy of being described using Breezy's term of a 'slasher smile'

"You'll see soon enough." He said with a cruel laugh that made a shudder run down Jet's back.

"Great…" Jet mumbled.

They continued in silence down the hallway, the only sound being their echoing footsteps. The longer they continued JetravenEx's unease grew.

Finally they reached the end of the hallway where a large intimidating metal door stood at the end. Masquerade came to a halt dragging JetravenEx by her arm to stand at his side.

The girl was still sopping wet from her dip in the pool and she was shivering like crazy, the cold stone hallway not offering much in terms of warmth.

Masquerade's grip on her arm was firm as he moved forwards and grabbed the handle of the door and turned opening it to reveal a pitch black room.

Jet stiffened as some of the room was revealed in the dim lighting from the torches. It was still mostly dark and hard to perceive anything of what was inside. But a wary step forwards showed her that on the side of the room, there was the faintest outline that looked slightly humanoid, but horribly thin and bony.

Jet squinted at the shape to the side trying to get a better look at it, when her eyes widened and she took a step back from the room in horror. The shape didn't just _look_ bony, it was _all_ bony, it was a skeleton! Possibly the remains from whatever other poor unfortunate soul that was dragged here and then left to die. In the dark, all alone.

"I don't wanna go in there!" Jetraven protested pulling back tugging desperately at her arm trying to pull free from Masquerade. "It's dark and there's an actual _skeleton_ in there!" She cried her eyes wide and filled with fear.

Masquerade laughed. "You should be happy!" He said tightening his grip on her arm and pulling her towards the room. "He can keep you company!" He forced her up to the door, then shifted his grip to her shoulders and all but threw her into the room slamming the door behind her leaving Jet in pitch darkness.

JetravenEx whimpered as she picked herself up off the cold dark floor, she looked around trying to see anything, but all that surrounded her was impenetrable blackness. Her eyes couldn't perceive anything. She turned around, should she try to feel around the room, see if maybe there was some way out? But she remembered the skeleton she caught a glimpse of on her way in, what if there were more like that? She could picture it in her mind and the images of half rotten corpses strewn about the room made Jet's stomach twist. The girl shook her head trying to banish the images. If there were corpses she'd be able to _smell_ them. While she wasn't actually familiar with what corpses smelled like, it would definitely be a foul smell. Thus since the pitch black room smelled mostly of stale air and a musty scent. So there was no way there was something foul in here.

But what if there was something else in there like… Oh god like scorpions! A whole bunch of them and-

"No Jet!" she said smacking herself on the forehead trying to put a stop to all these horrible thoughts. "You've gotta stop making things worse, you're just in a pitch black room with a skeleton, there's probably nothing else here, or you'd hear something." She said settling down in the middle of the room shivering with the cold. Her clothes were still terribly wet and were beginning to stick to her making her feel gross and they just made her more cold.

Being alone in a dark room with only her thoughts didn't help, what was she going to do?

"I could… try to tell myself a story…" She mumbled softly to herself, "I mean it's dark in here I could just take a nap… Maybe…"

But wouldn't that be a bad idea? After all she was extremely cold and weren't you not supposed to sleep if you were cold?

Plus her thoughts were a chaotic panicky mess, her skin crawled making it feel like bugs were crawling over her. Although quick swipes from her hands over the areas proved there to be nothing there but bare skin, the feelings persisted.

Not to mention the images that she kept seeing in the darkness. She could just picture all sorts of terrible things in the darkness, although she did her best not to.

Her breathing quickened and a new thought came to mind. Oh god it was a steel door and it looked like it could seal just about everything in, even air. What if she ran out of air? Would she suffocate and die here?

Her heart clenched at the idea, she almost wished to be back in the chainsaw room with Billy… What if Billy was actually here!

That made her heart almost jump out of her chest as she looked around wildly straining her eyes desperately to pick something _anything_ out of the dark, but she could perceive nothing. She didn't even know how far away from her the other wall was. Perhaps the room was super long, containing all sorts of sinister creatures within its depths. Or some sort of sleeping monster, that's breathing was so silent it was like it wasn't either there.

She could picture it, a giant worm like creature lying curled up in the far corner of the long room dead asleep, and would be awakened by any sort of movement towards it. Then it would rear back and tower over her unleashing the most unholy of terrible roars before bearing down on her with rows and rows of sharp teeth. Slicing her to bits instantly in the most painful of deaths. Or maybe it'd spew acid, acid that ate slowly at her skin, melting her away to nothing over the course of agonizing hours.

She swallowed thickly and shook her head. Again a monstrosity like that would have to have some kind of scent or surely give off some kind of sound. But the room was silent and the smell lacking of any sort of powerful odor.

None the less despite these facts the thoughts persisted as Jet summoned up worse and worse possibilities with each passing moment.

From horrible killer robots that lay deactivated in the corners waiting for some motion nearby to trip its motion sensors and reactivate it; to a vicious skeleton standing in the back wielding a sickle waiting for her to move into it's range.

The thoughts of what could be kept hammering into her leaving Jet whimpering and on the verge of tears in the middle of the room while she shivered from the cold.

Oh lord she was doomed.

/-/

The group of seven stepped out of Cato's limo in mild confusion. Cassie glanced around, slightly uncertain as to the veracity of the coordinates she'd received. Sure, she was standing in the back parking lot of a place called Windmill Diner, but...was this really the right place?

The highway behind her was loud with the sound of rushing traffic. The parking lot was relatively packed for a Tuesday evening, leaving only a few spaces unoccupied. A woman and her two daughters headed around to the front of the building to the entrance, and, watching them bicker playfully, Cassie was feeling the doubt grow.

"This doesn't seem like the sort of place someone threatening the brawlers would hang out," Saffron remarked quietly, apparently sharing Cassie's sentiments.

"I am inclined to agree," Obsidian agreed, smoothing out her white skirt. "But, even still, it couldn't hurt to take a look around." She glanced to her princess, seeking approval, and Cassie nodded.

"Isamu," the princess said, and the boy tilted his wheelchair so he could better see her. "Would you and Saffron please accompany me inside?"

"Me, your highness?" Isamu asked. Cassie's face scrunched up a bit, but she nodded.

"You're the most familiar with Earth…" she explained herself, uncertainly. "I'm not sure I completely understand the...currency…"

"You don't have to explain yourself, your highness," Keane assured her, crossing his arms and shooting Isamu a glare. "Especially not when _someone_ questions you."

"Knock it off, Keane," Saffron rebuked him flippantly. "I was going to say you were right, but then you _had_ to riff on humans."

"What?" Keane bristled. "Vestals are better…" Obsidian, Isamu and Maron rolled their eyes while Cassie's cheeks flushed.

"Can we focus?" Maron asked, putting a hand on her hip. "Cassie, can I come, too?" Cassie shrugged.

"Sure. I just want some of you back here, just in case. Can you look around a bit? And...someone stay with Cato?"

"Of course, your highness," Birch assured her. "I'll stay with Cato."

"...Cassie's fine," she said softly, wringing her hands together, but she wasn't sure the others heard her.

"Keane and I will look around," Obsidian continued, shooting the boy a warning glance should he protest. He didn't; instead, he tugged at his blue polo shirt in mild irritation.

"I don't like not wearing my cape…" he muttered, once again eliciting an eyeroll from Obsidian.

"You're on a mission," she snapped at him. "Act like it!" He bristled, but held his tongue for the senior officer.

"Shall we go?" Isamu asked Cassie after checking his wallet to ensure he had enough money should they decide to get a meal. Cassie looked to Saffron.

"Your highness?" the Sub-Terra brawler questioned.

"Oh, uh…yes," she decided after a moment, a bit startled that they expected her to make the final decision. Keith wouldn't have allowed her that same freedom; she was, after all, entering an area with potential hostiles. He wouldn't have risked her safety by entrusting the decision to her alone.

"Just…" she hesitated. "Just stay close."

"As you wish."

Isamu led the way, pushing his wheelchair strongly. It could be motorized, but he almost never used the function. He also never allowed anyone to push him, not even up inclines like the wheelchair entrance of the establishment. He did, however, allow Maron to open the door for him, but only entered after Saffron led Cassie through.

"Are you with the gentleman sitting over there?" the hostess inquired, glancing toward the booth near a window. Cassie and the others blinked, glancing in the direction she indicated, only to discover a seemingly empty table. "Oh, I apologize; he must have stepped out for a moment." At their blank expressions, she blinked and backtracked. "I'm sorry, did I get the wrong group? He said he was expecting his niece and her friends. He said she was a towhead…"

"Towhead?" Maron whispered to the princess.

"Ah, yes; sorry," Isamu interjected, chuckling to himself. Maron and Cassie blinked at him, but Saffron placed a steadying hand on Cassie's shoulder. "You surprised us. Yes; he's sitting over there?" He glanced at his table.

"Ah, yes. I'll get someone to set up a place for you, Sir," the brunette hostess assured him, turning to the 'bar' in search of someone to assist the party. "You can all have a seat," she called over her shoulder.

The group exchanged glances. "Maron," Saffron said calmly. "I'd like you to take the princess back outside."

"Huh?" the Haos brawler exclaimed. "Why?"

"We have a chance to find out who this person is. I'd like to find out who it is we're meeting before he realizes Her Highness is here." He turned to the heir. "I merely desire your safety." She hesitated, but, after a moment, nodded. "Alright. Let me know when we can come back in. C'mon, Maron."

"What the heck is a towhead?" Maron murmured as they headed back outside, earning a giggle from the girl.

"It's someone who has really blond hair," she explained, gesturing to her long, almost white locks as they descended the stairs instead of the wheelchair ramp this time.

"That's a weird name," Maron declared, shaking her head. Then, she frowned. "How'd he know what you look like?"

Cassie frowned. She hadn't considered that. "He must be a Vestal," Maron concluded before Cassie say anything. "Your picture's everywhere there." They rounded the corner back to the parking lot where the others were.

"Maybe," she mused.

"What are you doing back here?" Birch called when he looked up from inspecting the vehicles.

"The guy we're waiting for is inside; he's in the bathroom, though, so Saffron and Isamu are going to wait for him. They didn't want Cassie there until they could figure out who he was," Maron explained, understanding Cassie's quiet nature. "He'll call us back when it's safe."

"Well, I guess that explains why we didn't find anything out here," Obsidian announced. "Parking lot's all clear. All the cars are empty."

"So it's a waiting game, is it?" Keane commented, approaching the girls with an irritated frown instead of his usual scowl. It was the look of reverence he reserved only for Her Highness, or so Maron said when she so eloquently explained the expression to Cassie at one late night sleepover. "Why can't we just go up to him in the bathroom?"

"...For one thing, that's just impolite," Birch said after a moment. "But mostly because we don't want to spook him."

"Where can he go? It's a _bathroom_ ," Keane grumbled surlily. "It's not like there're many places to run... OW!" His hands flew up to the back of his head. "The hell was that for? Hey!" he complained when Obsidian smacked him again.

"The first one was for questioning a senior officer. The other was just for being rude," she informed him. He glared at her.

"Bit-ACK! Stop it!"

"And that," she snapped, "was for using foul language in the presence of your monarch!"

"Honestly, when are you going to learn to listen?" Birch muttered, running a hand through his spiky, strawberry-blonde hair.

"Never," Maron muttered to Cassie, who smiled weakly.

"Well, I would if you had something worth-" He breathed in sharply, jumping backwards to avoid Obsidian's kick, but she followed through with a spinning kick from the other side and knocked him to the ground. He hit the pavement with a grunt of pain, but by the time he recovered, Obsidian had stopped paying attention to him. Instead, she was adjusting her ankle-length skirt and checking to make sure she hadn't scuffed her shoes.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" he demanded of the seemingly disinterested Birch, wiping a trail of blood from his cheek.

"Why would I? I believe she was completely…" He was interrupted by the beeping of Cassie's Baku-Collar and trailed off into silence as she answered.

"Yes?" she questioned the leader of the Caretakers.

"All clear; you can come in," he said briefly. "I would advise the others to hold their positions as a precaution."

"Understood," Birch called, and, at Cassie's assent, the call ended. With an exchange of glances, the two eleven-year-olds headed back around the building. This time, they walked in silence; they both had an appreciation for the seriousness of the situation. Maron led the way up the stairs and held the door, just as before, and Saffron held the inner one for the princess. She normally would have thanked her guards-and as the Caretakers were usually not her security detail, they would have definitely received thanks-, but the circumstances seemed to trivialize such formalities.

Cassie gave the room a cursory glance before inclining her head in the direction of the table previously brought to her attention. Isamu was seated on the end, a place having been set up for him in her absence, and was politely thanking a waitress who set a steaming cup of coffee before him. His companion was a blonde-haired, blue eyed man-young, from what Cassie could make out. His hair was long, tied back in a neat braid. He also appeared strikingly familiar….

That was when his eyes focused on her, and Cassie realized she was looking at _Keith_. She stopped short, overcome with a sudden crippling dizziness. Keith was here. Keith called her here.

Her thoughts flew through her head wildly. Theories were thrown around without any semblance of control, but the one that burned brightest in the forefront made her want to throw up. Keith called her here. Keith made her think she was being threatened. He got her, hook, line, and sinker. It had been a test, and she failed.

His expression changed minutely from what it had been when she entered, but Cassie couldn't accurately interpret how. She just turned away, cheeks flaming in humiliation, and sprinted to the bathroom.

"Cassie!" Maron cried, throwing up a hand in surprise.

"Cassandra!" Keith exclaimed as he got to his feet. His chair was shoved back from the table with a clatter. At a pointed glance from Keith, Maron started after her (being the only one of the 'guards' capable of entering a woman's bathroom without getting arrested), but luck was not on her side.

As she made her way to the bathroom she failed to see the waitress emerging from the kitchen to Maron's immediate left with a tray laden with plates of food. The waitress was turning around shifting the tray to the front, when she and Maron collided. Both of them cried out in surprise and hit the floor, dishes crashing to the ground. Food splattered everywhere-something shattered. Then to add insult to injury, the customer was hardly the most understanding individual in the restaurant.

From the bathroom, Cassie was mercifully spared the vile language that the man spewed at poor Maron. With the only female member of the party otherwise preoccupied now, that left her to attempt to console herself alone. Keith had tested her, and she'd failed. She was the heir; how could she fail? She was the only hope her people had left. How could she become a capable queen if she couldn't even manage a pop quiz?

Her Baku-Collar beeped shrilly and she started, knocking her hand into the paper towel dispenser on the wall. With a grimace, she shook out the injured appendage before composing herself enough to answer the call.

"Hello?" she asked softly.

Like before the screen showed nothing but static and a familiar robotic male voice emanated from the baku-collar. "Hello your highness, my apologies for missing our appointment, but… as you've probably seen, someone decided to _invite_ themselves to my little get-together." The voice said.

Ice trickled down Cassie's spine. _Missing our appointment_? It wasn't Keith?

"Who are you?" she questioned. Her voice wouldn't stay steady-why wouldn't it obey her?

"Relax your highness," The voice lost some of it's roboticness taking on a more smooth and humanesque sounding tone, but there was an underlying mechanical undertone to it. "You and I, have yet to be acquainted, so I don't blame you for not recognizing me."

"What do you want with me?" she tried again. Her hands began to shake as panic set in.

"Your cooperation," The voice replied. "Since Keith decided to interfere, it's required me to ask that we speak one and one, outside of his influence. I can't trust him to be fully...impartial"

She swallowed. One on one? "...I can't agree to that," she whispered shakily.

A sigh came from the other end. "Your highness this is a dire matter, as I've told you there are _lives_ on the line here." The voice stressed.

Cassie flinched. _Lives_. She knew she couldn't, in good conscience, refuse. She knew she'd never forgive herself if someone was hurt because she was too scared to act. But, at the same time, she had no idea who she was interacting with. Who knew if this person was trustworthy? What if he was just playing to her sense of morality?

"Why…" she trailed off, hesitating. She could practically feel Maron poke her in the back and hiss, _Be decisive!_ in her ear. With a deep breath, she steeled herself. "Why should I trust you?"

The voice's response was immediate. "My creator trusts me with her life."

The words struck a chord-a taut, already whining chord-within her. For a moment, she didn't say anything, only breathed hard against the communicator. The words meant something to her, that she was certain. But she wasn't sure _why_. Logically, it didn't make sense, but… at the same time…

Her mouth was uncomfortably dry. She winced and swallowed, then opened her mouth to reply.

"Where?"

"There is a green minivan in the parking lot, it will be unlocked, once you're inside your driver-which is me, will introduce themselves."

"...I can't get outside without the others seeing me."

"The kitchen has a rear-facing exit." The voice said then paused. "Do you truly fear making your own decision? I am not joking about the lives, this isn't a prank, or some plot to kidnap you. I am being deadly serious. For I too have a stake in this."

 _I'm only eleven!_ Cassie wanted to shout. _Less than a year ago, I was noone! How am I supposed to make these life-or-death decisions?_ But she didn't say anything, only closed her eyes in despair. She didn't really have a choice here, anyway. Not if she wanted to live with herself afterwards.

The voice didn't offer anything else, and Cassie extended the same courtesy. When it became apparent neither was going to speak again, she ended the call and hugged herself, trying to dispel the crippling cold that had settled over her, before she exhaled forcefully. She had to do this, and she had to do it now. Before Maron or Obsidian came to check on her. How she was going to avoid them in the parking lot was something she didn't want to consider, but winging it didn't sound like a good plan, either. A moment of consideration confirmed it was her only option, though, and she sighed.

Before she had a chance to psyche herself out, she ducked out of the bathroom. A cursory glance down the hall revealed that no one was waiting for her outside, and that suited her just fine. Apologizing to her guardians internally, she ducked into the entrance to the kitchen. The intense burst of heat from the other side of the wall surprised her, but she kept her head down and her wits about her regardless. Trying as hard as she could to go unnoticed, she scanned the room for the exit her anonymous friend had promised her, and nearly groaned in relief when she found it. The two chefs glanced at her in mild confusion when they noticed the pre-teen slinking through the kitchen, but were too absorbed in listening to something in a foreign language on the radio to actually chase her out. When they noticed she was just passing through, that made her even less of a concern, and they ignored her.

She pushed open the door with shaking hands and was greeted with near total darkness. She let it shut behind her and blinked, willing her vision to adjust. No one called out to her, which struck her as odd, until she considered that, perhaps, her guard had hidden amongst the cars. That would make sense. Teens in a parking lot late at night with no probable cause would be suspicious, she supposed.

Still, it didn't comfort her very much.

 _Green minivan,_ she chanted to herself. _It's ten at night; how am I supposed to see this?_

At the end of the line of cars nearest to the restaurant a vehicle flashed its headlights before making a single beep.

Cassie licked her lips. _How's that for providence?_ she thought bitterly as she clenched her fists. She descended the stairs quickly and forced herself to approach the vehicle. Each step seemed like an eternity and an instant at the same time, but suddenly, she was there. Standing beside a large vehicle wreathed in shadows, a glimmering scratch of silver on the edge of the vehicles hood reflect the glow from the streetlights. Gritting her teeth, she peered into the driver's side window, only to discover it was unoccupied.

Okay. She could deal with that. Some of the stress left her shoulders and she circled around the front of the vehicle, coming to a stop with her hand on the passenger side door handle. A sound like fabric shifting came from her left. "Princess Cassie…?" Birch whispered, confused.

She panicked, frozen in place, before his footfall broke her trance. She closed her eyes, yanked open the door, and swung herself in. Before she slammed it, the locks clicked, and a shiver shot down her spine. She wasn't trapped, exactly, but he couldn't get to her.

"What are you doing?" he shouted, his voice warped from the glass separating them. She pressed her hands against the glass as he did the same on the other side, and both leaned their faces close. She stared at him with a fearful, guilty expression, but it, after a moment, it turned imploring.

"I'm sorry," she called. "I have to do this!" Birch didn't seem appeased by that.

"Get out of the car!" He yanked on the door handle, making the car shudder. "Your Highness!" Cassie flinched.

"Cassie? What are you doing?" Obsidian cried, coming around the front of a car.

"Making the best decision." A smooth male voice spoke seemingly from the radio, loud enough to be audible from outside. Cassie shrieked. The van coming to life headlights flashing on illuminating what was directly in front of the vehicle. "I'd recommend you buckle up your highness." The voice said the engine clicking on and revving. Then without waiting for her response the vehicle shot forwards out of the space before taking a sharp turn before peeling out of the parking lot. She was slammed back against the seat unexpectedly and flailed in an attempt to maintain her balance. Her head smacked into the window. Stars danced across her vision, but she blinked them away within seconds.

"I highly advise you wear a seatbelt, I don't know about Connecticut, but where I'm from, it's the law." The minivan's voice spoke again as they got on the nearest on ramp onto the highway.

"What are you?" Cassie cried, searching wildly for the restraint despite her distrust for the talking car.

"Well over the course of my existence for the last 12 years I've been many many different things, but at present I am a minivan, a '03 Chrysler Town and Country to give my exact model specifications. Upgraded to suit whatever my creator desires."

Cassie was too busy trying to fit the buckle through the lock with her shaking fingers to properly comment.

"Ah, here I can get that for you." The van said the buckle shifting slightly to lock right into place. "There." She let go of the device as if it had burned her and grabbed at the handle on the ceiling instead-as if that would help her. The car chuckled. "You needn't fear me, I can't and wouldn't harm you, Me-JetravenEx…" he said with a weary tone, "wouldn't approve."

"J-JetravenEx?" Cassie repeated.

"Yes, my apologies, I should've introduced myself… The long name my creator gave me is Speedstar, but I'd prefer it if you'd call me either Speed or Speedy." Speedy informed her. "I was the first original character my creator ever invented, and I've been fortunate enough to be around since she was a child to her adulthood." He paused for a moment. "It got weird at times-like the time she burned a ton of...questionable songs to a CD and listened to it for hours on end-but it was overall mostly pleasant…" He paused. "I remember she complained recently about not knowing where that went; now I'm curious."

"You're...one of JetravenEx's OC's?" the towhead sought to confirm. "Like I'm one of D-Breezy's?"

"I really hate calling her Jet…" Speedy muttered. "But yes, I am."

"I...see…" Her hand came down off the handle and hung in the air for a moment before she decided to let it rest in her lap.

Speedy waited a moment to see if she'd say anything more before speaking. "Anyways I suppose I should get to the point as to why I called you here. Truth be told I wasn't initially aware this was going on, after all I'm not technically in DD much like Superior, I'm not even connected to Bakugan. But, Meredith Raynet was growing concerned that our creators might not make it out of this alive and she wasn't having any luck convincing the young characters that they were being foolish. They were upset with my creator for making them endure such hardships for her amusement."

A snort came from Speed, "They should've been there when Jet's styles were changing, some incredibly stupid ideas came from that and just-just thinking about them hurts my mind. Back then she had prime examples of Mary Sues," He huffed. "It was all about them, all the time, and if it wasn't about them it was about who they wanted to get _with._ Seriously, a pre-teen should not be plotting out her OC having babies with two different characters." Cassie's face screwed up in surprised disgust, but the car didn't seem to notice. "Unfortunately I still see the two unfortunate spawn from that unholy union, blech. Makes me glad to be a machine, don't have to deal with all that. And don't get me started on plot ideas back then, the main characters from the series always relying on someone else to save their butts. Have you ever watched Vegeta from DBZa, where he says 'I am THE HYPE!' that was all of Jet's original characters back then. ALL. OF. THEM." He sighed. "And that's just a few examples, trust me, I've seen stuff that'd make your hair turn white."

Part of Cassie was able to see the grain of humor in the situation; her hair was already white. But the other part was just plain confused. Meredith was involved in this? Why hadn't she just come and spoken to her? Why did she have to give everyone a heart attack to have a...slightly nonsensical, one-sided conversation with a sentient car? Why was she involved in in the first place?

Her silence seemed to register with the mini-van, who, after waiting to see if she would comment, began speaking again. "So, the ride's going to be a little lengthy… Would you like some music to pass the time?"

"Uh...alright," she said softly.

Speedy hummed a moment as the radio centered in the middle console clicked on playing static a moment, as the button marked AM, FM and CD was depressed on the CD portion of it. On the thin screen besides the slot to insert the CD showed 3 lines before showing it to be at 1:10 and then the music came on.

At first there was a few bars of what sounded like clapping and music and then the singing started up.

' _Its almost over why can't you just let it fly?_

 _Don't be afraid it's not the first time you'll die._

 _Your mechanical parts click,_

 _it sounds like when I broke your bones.'_

Cassie visibly stiffened, blinking. Well, that was...not _terrifying_ , but… Okay, it was terrifying. She licked her lips, staring at the console in obvious surprise and alarm.

Just as the singer was declaring that they hoped someone die in a fire Speedy clicked off the radio silence falling over the inside of the vehicle. The only sound being the cars engine as it drove down the road.

"Well," Speedy said after a minute breaking the silence. "It seems I finally found Jet's horror song CD."

/-/

Jessica was standing in front of a house holding a sign that read 'And now for a word from the peanut gallery'. She held it up until her arms started shaking, then she struggled with it for a few moments longer before she groaned and let it fell.

"Okay, I'm sure the readers get it." She said turning to her head to Skylord who was in ballform on her shoulder. "Let's head back inside, and see what's up with the others." Jessica threw open the front door and headed inside, entering into a large living space.

Meredith was dozing at the dining room table a book open atop the table and her head resting atop the book.

"Wonder what tired her out." Jessica mused before she moved past her sleeping sister and heading into the kitchen and family room looking for anyone else.

The kitchen and the family room were connected with each other. The kitchen had an island with a granite countertop and a spot where two stools stood for two people to sit at the counter. Then there was a circular booth with a circle table placed in the middle of it. The booth had windows above it revealing the large backyard that lay behind the house.

Then the family room that lay to the right side of whoever was entering the area from the dining room, was a large open space. There was an old worn out couch facing towards an old boxy TV. On the wall under two large windows there was a loveseat, and next to that a big soft comfy chair. In the middle of the room there was a large coffee table made of dark wood and topped off with sleek black cushions.

Near the table there was an ottoman, which rested atop the part of the hardwood flooring not covered by an old tan rug with a leaf like border design. The ottoman was pressed right against the limestone fireplace at the far right of the room. Beside the fireplace there was the old boxy TV turned slightly at an angle so it could be viewed from where the seating was arranged in the room. On the last empty wall, there was a large bookcase filled with odds and ends and the lowest shelf held an assortment of video games and DVDs.

Jake, Dan and Ren were seated at the booth, discussing something related to football lazily. Or, at least, Ren and Dan were discussing it lazily; Jake was...being his usual, exuberant self. Mira sat on a stool, munching on a platter of fruits with a contemplative expression. Baron poured himself a glass of lemonade before setting the pitcher back in the fridge and turning to Mira, asking rapidly about the fruits on the platter while she, surprised at his interruption, struggled to keep up.

Zenet, Lena, Mason and Sid along were hanging around in front of the television, watching a few re-runs of Danny Phantom. Mike, Viki and Aidan were seated on the couch chatting with each other since the four gundalians blocked the view to the TV. Jesse had been exiled to another room, but his animated Shakespearean rehearsals were still audible from where Jessica was standing. " _O, I am fortune's fool!_ " Jessica heard him call out, grimacing.

Near the hallway there was a box and Jessica eyed it a moment before glancing up at the TV.

Just as she predicted when the box ghost appeared on the screen, Tyler popped out of the box with a shout of 'BEWARE!', earning a look of startlement from Marucho, who had been walking by with a laptop.

Tyler let out a laugh before Aidan leaned over from the couch and bopped Tyler on the head.

"Knock it off dingbat." Aidan snapped, Tyler grabbing his head and dropping back into the box. Aidan peered into the box and once he was satisfied Tyler wasn't popping back out her relaxed on the couch once more.

"Sooo," Jessica said trying to get the others attention. "Why are all you guys sitting around?" She asked the other three neo brawlers turning to look at her..

Viki shrugged. "Already had our fun," She said gesturing towards herself and the two fellow DD cast members. "and they're just waiting." She said jerking a thumb towards the ones gathered in the kitchen. As if realizing that they were referring to him, Dan stuck his head out of the booth. Jessica blinked. Dan's expression of focus morphed into a sneer before he slowly pulled his torso back inside the booth, leaving Jessica with a sense of foreboding.

"...I'm beginning to think we should have him committed," Zenet said from the couch, "before he tries to set Breezy's house on fire…"

Tyler popped back out of the box. "Fire?! Where?!" He shouted looking around wildly.

Mike groaned facepalming. "You had to say the 'F' word," He said frowning at Zenet, as Tyler jumped out of the box.

"What?" she muttered, rolling her eyes. "It's either that or brutally murder her family."

"He's that mad?" Mason questioned, pulling his attention away from the program.

"Where have you _been_?"

"Yeah he started screaming and foaming at the mouth when Superior mentioned that Breezy was unconscious and he didn't know what to do with her." Jenny said she and Jewels entering the area.

Jessica brightened at the sight of the two popstars. "Hey! You're back, where've you been?"

Jewels expression morphed into a dark smirk that made Jessica's stomach twist uneasily. "Oh we were just setting up our little 'gift' to Jet." She said with a dark laugh.

Jessica gulped. "Uh, okay…" She mumbled. As if that statement had been a cue, Meredith blinked her eyes open. She glanced around in sleepy confusion before sitting up with a groan.

"Hmm, oh no i fell asleep!" She said jumping to her feet looking around wildly. She turned to Jessica. "Jess what time is it?!"

Jessica blinked. "Uhhh," She turned to look towards to the clock that was on the oven. "Hmm looks to be almost midnight" She said.

Meredith groaned. "Gah I slept too long!" She said hurrying to get her sneakers on. "I'll be back later gotta go… Take care of something! Bye!" She called over her shoulder before rushing over to the front door, throwing it open and racing out of the house the door banging into the wall from the force it was thrown open.

Jessica raised an eyebrow. "That was weird." She muttered. "Why's everyone acting so strange? First Dan acts like he's rabid, Jewels acting all scary, and now Meredith's being weird." She frowned shaking her head. "I hope things go back to normal soon," She mumbled.

"That's unlikely." Alica said with a grin emerging from a dark hallway. "After all, with all the chaos going on, me and the other villains get to par-tay!" She said punching the air.

Jessica edged away. "You mean you want to party with sadistic Kazarina, and all the creeps from Ultimatum and the feminazi amazonian Docorrians?" She shuddered. "I think I'll pass…"

Alica sneered. "That's cause you're a goody goody, anyways I have things to do, bye!" She said turning on her heel and disappearing back into the dark hallway.

"Uh Alica, that just goes to the garage." Jessica said. "And if you wake Speed up he'll start talking your ear off." She called, but Alica ignored her and there was the sound of a door opening and slamming shut. "Okaayyy." Jess said with a frown, before she headed back to see what the others were doing in the kitchen and living room. In her absence, an argument had started between Sid and Mason while the girls ignored them, and Mira had disappeared, leaving Baron to join in on the football conversation-which merely resulted in the boys having to explain the rules and such while Ren got the expression of an older man strongly wishing he had a drink.

"You guys wanna do something fun?" Tyler asked out of the blue leaning on the back of the couch.

"Depends," Aidan said frowning. "What do you wanna do?"

Tyler dove back into his box. Then a few items came flying out of the box some of them nearly beaning several characters on the head. After a minute of digging Tyler popped back out with a box in his hands.

"TWISTER!" Tyler declared holding the game up above his head.

Jessica spluttered with laughter. "You wanna play Twister?" She asked incredulously

Aidan blinked and his eyebrows furrowing. "Seriously? You don't wanna… set stuff on fire? Launch firecrackers in the sky? Look at fire? You want to play a _harmless_ game where people put their hands and feet on multicolored circles?! That-that makes no sense." He said shaking his head.

"Yup! I wanna play Twister!" Tyler said clambering out of the box. "Will you guys play with me?" He asked all the others gathered in the room.

"No," Sid said bluntly, rising and exiting the room like the killjoy he was.

"I'll play!" Zenet announced with enthusiasm. "I haven't played many Earth-games!"

"Oooh! Me, too!" Jake shouted.

"What's Twister?" Baron exclaimed, joining the group with an almost inhuman speed.

Ren looked like he could _really_ use a drink now.

The sound of the front door opening was heard and a set of footsteps sounded as Julie and Billy walked in to the room. Julie beamed when she saw the game

"Oooh, are you guys playing Twister!" She grinned. "I wanna play, you wanna play too Billy?" She asked turning to Billy.

Billy flushed and glanced away. "Well… I guess." He said uncertainly reaching a hand up to rub the back of his head.

The confirmation was all Julie needed she grabbed his hand and pulled him to join the group gathered around Tyler who was holding the box high above his head like it was some mystical revered idol.

"Wait, wait wait!" Aidan said as Jenny and Jewels joined Tyler's group to play. "You guys _seriously_ want to play _Twister?_ What?!"

Tyler grinned. "It's called fun Aidan," He stuck out his tongue at the other blond. "Nyah." The scholarly blond's eye twitched.

Mike turned in his seat. "I don't wanna play but I'll sure as heck watch, might even make popcorn." He settled in his seat to get comfortable.

"Where will you even play it?!" Aidan asked incredulously. "There's no room in here!" He said gesturing to the furniture filled room, "Or in the office." He jabbed a thumb to the room with sliding doors closed, where Jesse could be heard reciting shakespeare. "Or the dining room or living room."

Tyler frowned. "Hmm… Where to play."

"We'd have to ask Jet to clean up somewhere for us," Viki said. "This is her house and besides outside, the largest place for us to go would be her bedroom."

"Pft," Aidan snorted. "It's big but she always managed to maintain a level of clutter in there. It being clean would take a miracle."

Tyler looked crestfallen for a moment when Viki hopped up. "We could play freeze dance!" She offered.

"Freeze dance?" Baron repeated.

"Yeah!" Viki hopped off the couch to stand with the others. "It's a game where you play music and you have to dance. Then, when the music stops you freeze."

"TO THE BASEMENT!" Tyler shouted, suddenly exuberant again as he bounded out of the room. The messy blond haired teen threw open the door at the end of the small hallway and bounded down the stairs.

"Well least he's not traveling by box anymore." Mike mused as he vaulted over the couch and headed after him, Viki following the two boys.

Aidan stared incredulously as Julie, Billy, Jenny, Zenet and Jewels headed into the basement after them. "They're playing freeze dance?! What are we?! Twelve?!" He threw his hands up in the air. "What?!" He looked towards Baron and Jake who hadn't headed down yet. "You two aren't planning to play with them too?" He asked.

"Oh, we're playing," Jake grinned.

"We're just trying to make sure Master Dan doesn't drive Ren to Vancouver with his insanity," Baron explained, as if it were obvious. Aidan glanced at said brunette before he finally noticed the insane glint in his eyes and the haggard, worn expression on Ren's face.

"Vancouver?" he deadpanned. Baron's face fell.

"...That's far away, right?"

"...I don't think that's how it works," Marucho piped up from his spot in the kitchen. "And he'll be fine; I'll watch him."

"YEAH!" Jake exclaimed, bolting for the stairs with Baron close at his heels. Aidan stared after them with the face of someone who had just been sucker-punched in the gut. Or forced to swallow a grapefruit.

Jessica glanced around at the remaining members of the kitchen, she grimaced at the insane Dan, the aggravated Ren, the ignorant Marucho and the floored Aidan.

"You know, its been years since I got to play freeze dance, I'm gonna go join them, plus if Mike's with them that means we should have some good music!" Jessica said with a smile turning to head towards the stairs leaving Aidan alone in the hallway.

"...Well," Mira said, returning to the room, "that happened."

"Yeah," Aidan scowled and slumped forwards with a groan. "It did."

A/N:

JetravenEx: *listening to the rest of Die in a Fire by the Living Tombstone* I hope you die in a fire! dada da da. *shifts with the music*

Breezyfeather: *facepalm* I think it's pretty good we didn't go with my choice of music. Honestly. "AND LO I WILL IMPALE HER LIKE A KNIFE! Leave her, twisting, day after day after day of her very short life with me! *evil laugh*" ...yeah.

JetravenEx: *shrugs* prolly best. Although I hope I'm not left in that dark room for too long, or i'll go mad…

Breezyfeather: Something tells me Masky won't mind.

JetravenEx: -.-

Breezyfeather: :) Thanks for all your support, guys! We really appreciate it! Also, when Jet told me about the whole SuperiorxJetravenEx thing, I died a little inside. And laughed, because it freaked me out a bit haha

Superior: I'm a part of it how do you think i feel?

JetravenEx: anyways like breezy said thanks for the support, and we look forwards to seeing you all next time :D

Breezyfeather: Hopefully I'll be conscious this time haha

JetravenEx: Dunno, if Dan or the others get a hold of you you might want to stay out.

Breezyfeather: *pales* This is true. Anyway, 'til next time!


End file.
